Parenthood
by cheri1
Summary: 10th Doctor. Part of my Something Old, Something New series. Written with Carol. A series of stories and vignettes centered around the youngest children in the Doctor's family.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is part of my Something Old, Something New series. This is also co-written with my friend, Carol (Ninewood). This is about the triplets and the other children that were born around the same time and little vignettes and stories about when they were babies, toddlers and children.

Chapter One

It seems hard to believe that it's been only a few short months since the triplets were born but I can't imagine my life without them now. Our three little miracles, born from a horrible act that a depraved monster forced us to do. Don't get me wrong; I love all my children with all my hearts but…now at last, I have three that were created from me and my husband.

As for the Doctor, well…Thete is now a very proud papa and he's completely over the moon. It's funny since he hasn't had much experience with children. He had Dex but at the time Dex was an infant he wasn't that concerned with being there for him as he was with traveling and Dex spent most of his time in the nursery on Gallifrey. Then there was Dot but Dot was three when she came along so she was out of diapers and house trained as my husband puts it in his usual joking way. So having three tiny infants is sort of a novelty for him. Once we got over the shock of our precious Namid being born blind, he became a devoted dad to all of them, spending as much time as he could taking care of them and making sure that, unlike him, they didn't grow up abused and neglected. He's not alone, of course, Alan raised Angel from an infant and he helps out along with my dad and Jackie and everyone else. One thing's for sure, these children will grow up knowing they come from a loving, supportive family.

Back to my husband. The man is just fascinated with our three newborns and it's hilarious and touching watching him interact with them. Once he got over the feeling that they would break in his hands if he handled them the wrong way, he spent and spends hours just holding them and walking around the house or standing at the windows, talking to them while they sleep or look at him quietly. The first time he did that, Chas threw up all over his brown suit so after that he made sure to drape a towel over his shoulder just in case. He also his fascinated with their little bodies, particularly their hands and feet and their little finger and toenails. The finger and toenails are really, really fascinating and for awhile there he'd just stare at them in amazement.

"Look at this," he'd say to me as he'd hold one of them up to me. "These tiny fingernails, they're so cute. Along with her tiny hands and feet and face and…"

You get the idea. He also has tried to figure out why Namid was born blind. So far we have no clue and I can see how frustrated that makes my husband since he always loves to figure things out. So far no success in that area but we remain hopeful.

At the moment though, he's walking around the house with Chas on his shoulder while he rambles on about…I think he's talking about string theory to our son. He's teasing me because his son isn't staying awake for his vitally important lecture about it and at the moment he's currently standing at the living room window, rabbiting on as he says while I sit on the couch and breastfeed our girls…

"Oi, wake up, little scamp, I wanna tell you about sting theory and it's applications…"

Rain giggled as the Doctor looked at her and roll his eyes in mock exasperation.

"Apparently sleep is more important to him than string theory, Thete," she said as she held Sokanon to her left breast and let her feed. Namid lay beside her on a pink blanket, fast asleep.

"Well, if my son is gonna be just like me, he better get his priorities straight and wake up," he said as Rain giggled some more.

He stared down at his son with a mixture of love and awe.

"Look at em, he's so beautiful. I can't believe I made him," he said in a hushed voice.

"We made him, Thete."

"No, I made him. He's my property, he belongs to me," he teased.

"Oh really, well, I'll have to correct you on that then since I'm the one that had them. I was the one that went through the labor pains, not you."

"I was having supportive labor pains," the Doctor protested. "While you were giving birth, I went and smashed my finger with a hammer so I would be in pain as well. I figure that was approximately the same amount of pain as giving birth."

"No, actually it was much, much worse. I think in order to get the right amount of pain; you would have to circumcise yourself with a rusty bread knife, Thete."

She laughed when he raised an eyebrow and glanced down at his crotch.

"Then again, sometimes it pays not to experience the same amount of pain as your spouse," he said with a wry grin.

He watched quietly for a moment while she breastfed Sokanon.

"Lucky bastard," he said while Rain giggled. "Gets to have a go at your melons."

"Well, you could do the same if you could stand drinking breast milk," she teased.

The Doctor considered that for a moment.

"Nah, not interesting. Some things are best left to the imagination," he said as Rain shrugged and grinned.

He turned back to the window with his sun and stared out at the pool while Rain stroked the tuft of black hair on her daughter's head and listened to her feeding.

"I want more."

Rain looked up at her husband who was now looking at her with a mischievous grin on his face.

"More? More children?"

"Yes, heaps more. I want a colony. I love babies. I want at least a baker's dozen outta ya."

"P'eh, you want that, you find a way to give birth to them, Thete. Three is enough for me at the moment."

"But Raaaaaaain," he said in a whiny voice.

"But Theeeeeete," Rain said, imitating him. "You want more, make em yourself. I'll artificially inseminate you and turn ya loose to make your colony!"

"Nah, too much work," the Doctor said as she snorted.

The Doctor went back to staring down at Chaska who was sleeping peacefully on his shoulder.

"My little boy. Ooooh, you're so beautiful," he whispered as Rain smiled softly to herself. "I'm so glad you're here now and I promise you'll never be abused or neglected like I was. I won't be like my father and I won't do to you what I did to Dex. I'm going to be in your life and be a part of it as you grow up, my darling son."

Rain felt tears coming to her eyes upon hearing that. She tried to avert her face but she had forgotten that her husband could feel her emotions and she looked up when she felt his hand on her face and saw his concerned expression.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"Nothing. Just listening to what you said, I got teary eyed especially knowing what you went through as a boy."

"Well, my son deserves better than what I had and after seeing what my absence did to Dex, I'm not going to repeat that mistake. My children will not grow up resenting me for not being there. I will love them so much and so deeply they won't bear to be without me."

"Good, I'm glad," Rain said before accepting a kiss from him.

He looked down at Sokanon who was sucking quietly.

"Lucky bastard," he said as Rain sniggered.

He straightened back up and then sniffed the air. He groaned and looked at his son.

"Again? What are you, a shite machine?" he said as Rain laughed. "I don't recall feeding you that much, where is all this poo coming from?"

"Do you want me to change him?"

"No, stay there and let Soki keep on being a lucky bastard, I'll change the shite machine," he said.

"Just remember which end the diaper goes on, dear."

"I will!" he said as Rain laughed. "I'm not a total incompetent, Rainy Painy!"

"Hey, don't you start that. Bad enough Alan calls me that without you joining in," Rain said, thrusting her finger at him.

She shook her head and grinned when he called her Rainy Painy in a singsong voice as he carried his son back to the bathroom in their bedroom. Rain looked down when Sokanon suddenly pulled away from her breast and made a grunting sound.

"All done, my darling?" she asked her daughter as she rubbed her back."Ready for a nap now before your daddy comes along and holds you to death?"

"Bloody hell!"

Rain jerked her head around when she heard the Doctor yelling upstairs.

"What the hell do you feed these babies, Rain, algae? Why is the shite always green?" he yelled to her as Rain laughed.

"It's baby poop, Thete," she called up to him.

"Well, why is it greenish in color? Why does it stink to high heaven? What are you doing to these children because I'm sure as hell not doing it."

"Why don't you ask Maddie about Dot's poo or ask Alan about Angel's poo then?" she yelled up.

There was a short pause.

"No thanks, I'd rather not get into a poo discussion with members of my family," he yelled back. "All I know is this color isn't natural and I think your breast milk is sour or something. I'll have to consult my TARDIS databases."

"Yeah, you do that, Thete, I'll continue to believe it's a normal baby thing," Rain yelled back to him. "You are putting the diaper on his ass, aren't ya?"

"Yes, dear," the Doctor said with mock exasperation as she chortled. "I'm doing everything exactly as taught. Our son's nappy is in the correct place on his body."

"It's a wonder, gramps, seeing as how you're going senile and all!"

"I beg your pardon?" the Doctor said in a high-pitched voice as Rain laughed hysterically. "Gramps? Senile? Where the hell did that come from? And you accuse me of being around Alan too much, Miss Cheeky! Did you hear that, son? You hear what she called your dear old dad? Senile, indeed. I'm perfectly sane, sound and super. She, on the other hand, has been feeding you algae and I will be putting a stop to that, by Rassilon."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Thete," Rain said with a grin as she laid Sokanon down next to her sister.

The Doctor came back downstairs, Chaska asleep on his shoulder.

"Another question, lives mate. Does your breast milk contain sedatives?" he asked her as he came back down. "They're always nodding off and I could drop a nuclear warhead next to them and they wouldn't so much as bat an eyelid at it."

"That's another thing babies do, Thete, sleep and sleep soundly."

"Except apparently at night when they turn into human bats and screech like a howler monkey until you attend to them," the Doctor said, sitting back down beside her.

"And yet, you want more of them."

"Lashings! Lashings of infants for me to cuddle and coo with," the Doctor said. "I just want you to fix your tainted breast milk and stop feeding them sedatives so I can discuss string theory with them."

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek while she chuckled. He settled back into the sofa and held his son closely, letting out a contented sigh while Rain turned on the TV and tried to find something for them to watch.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I have been called a lot of things over the years but Daddy wasn't one of them. Oh, I wasn't a bad father, just an absent one. On the Gallifrey where I came from, Time Lords had little or no contact with their children and my father was the ultimate example of just how cold and heartless they were. I wasn't loomed like my brother was due to an experiment that my father decided to do with my mother to see if there was any difference between naturally born children and those that were loomed. My mother told me that experiencing a life growing inside her was the most thrilling thing she ever felt but my father's constant tests drove her bonkers. When I was born, it was evident that I was going to be different. Not only from the fact that I had a bellybutton but, and my mother told me this, there was a look in my eyes that wasn't in my brother's eyes.

Growing up, I was subjected to the nickname "wormhole" due to my bellybutton but I was proud of it. My mother would laugh when I was smaller and would lift my tunic, showing my bellybutton off to anyone we came in contact with. My father didn't find it amusing and would lecture me for hours on the proper behavior of a Time Child but it just went in one ear and out of the other.

Like all Time Lords, I had an arranged marriage and I do admit that I did fancy my wife. She was very pretty but she wasn't a goddess like my wonderful Frankie. (Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.) My wife and I had, in total, eight children and all of them were loomed. I did try asking if she would like to try having a natural born child and she looked at me like I had three heads.

"How disgusting!" she had told me and we dropped the subject. Like the Doctor, I had a son called Dex and I was surprised to see that he had the same look in his eyes that I had. Dex was rebellious and adventurous and my wife said it was my fault whenever he got into trouble. Dex and I had long talks about going off in my TARDIS when he was old enough and he would spend hours helping work on her engines and operating systems.

Then everything changed. While I was away, Dex had gone camping with some friends and was attacked by a halnar. Alan once asked me what a halnar was and it's a large beast that lived in the mountains of my Gallifrey and it was a cross between a wolverine and a bear. Rassilon knows why it attacked Dex but he was barely alive by the time they had brought him back to the citadel. His hearts were too damaged for him to regenerate so the doctors made him as comfortable as possible and my hearts were breaking when I came to see him. There were tubes and wires all over him and he sadly smiled at me from under the oxygen mask. I did most of the talking that day and asked him to forgive me for being such a terrible father. He just smile and told me through our bond that he never thought of me like that. He died that night in his sleep. My wife blamed me for his death and vowed that none of our children were ever going to travel with me.

That didn't stop Susan. Oh, no, she wanted to come with her grumpy old grandfather. We traveled together for a long time and I adored having her with me. But when she fell in love, I decided it was time for her to go. I still can hear her begging for me to open the door as I made my TARDIS go into the vortex and still can to this day.

After her came a young Highlander called James Robert McCrimmon. Like me, he didn't have a close relationship with his father. But, unlike me, his father had died when he was ten years old. Oh, he was raised by his lord but they were never close. The bond that developed between me and Jamie was always up for debate but I knew, as well as he did, that we had adopted each other and I had a son again. He proved many times over how loyal he was to me and I was never proud of any of my children as I was of Jamie.

Victoria came next and I adopted her as my daughter. Yes, I had daughters but none of them gave one lick about me. Victoria was so sweet and innocent so it hurt when she left me but I understood. She wasn't cut out for the life I was leading.

No, that came in the form of a little smart arse called Zoe. Oh, I know I shouldn't call her that but she was smart, spunky and clever. No wonder I liked her. She reminded me so much of Susan and was the perfect match for Jamie. Both of them bickered like a brother and a sister and there were many times I wanted to send them both to their rooms without supper.

It didn't last long because my high and mighty Time Lords took them away from me because of my "interference" with things. Let them face Daleks and see how they deal with them. (Wait, they did and I lost everything.)

It was during my "helping" them before my exile that I was reunited with Victoria and Jamie. Looking back, I wish I had picked someone else and left Jamie where he was. If I had then his mind wouldn't have been torn apart and he wouldn't have spent most of his life with half of his mind stored in a fob watch. The guilt from that stayed with me for a long time and I swore that I would never become close to any of my younger companions.

That changed the moment I met a young boy called Adric. He was smart, funny and, yes, annoying but he needed a father. I tried my best to be one to him but, in the end, I failed him. He died saving us from the Cybermen and I was never going to open that part of my hearts again.

Ace changed that decision and I tried again to be a father. It didn't work and I locked it away forever.

Maybe that's why I couldn't feel anything when Jenny showed up. It was true that she was a clone but she was also my little girl. It took her dying to awaken that part of me that I had locked away for so long to make me feeling anything again. When she died…Well, she didn't die but regenerated in a way I wish I could…I sealed it away for good and was never going to feel anything parental again.

That changed when Adam came along. True, Adam wasn't my child, but he did have children of his own with Rose and I remember the first time he placed his daughter, River, in my arms. She was this small, sweet smelling little thing with these big brown eyes and wisps of ginger hair and had a smile that could melt the hardest of hearts. I was stunned to learn that she had telepathic powers at such an early age and could feel her even though we were in two separate universes. Her brother, James, was born a few years later and I could see the wander lust that was in not only my eyes but in Adam's eyes.

I find it amazing how love can be found in the darkest of times and it came in the form of my Frankie. I had badly injured in a Time Storm, which destroyed my TARDIS, and I admit that I don't remember stumbling out of it and collapsing on the sand at Bad Wolf Bay. Without my TARDIS, I knew that I was good as dead but I was found and taken to the base of the one person I never thought I'd see again, my universe's Master.

I'm still not sure where his wife, Lucy, got the information that explained my Time Lord anatomy and biological functions but my guess is the Master must have told her about me and what a Time Lord was.

I slipped into a healing coma and woke up looking at my wonderful goddess. Frankie had agreed to work with Lucy in order to save the life of her little brother, Cameron, but it turned out that he didn't need saving. He enjoyed working for Lucy and the Master and, even though Cameron was one of the smartest people on the planet, was the dumbest person I have ever met. When the Master was destroyed, Cameron vanished and I vowed to Frankie that we would find him one day.

Frankie agreed to come with me after we were rescued by the Doctor and his family and I was surprised that he wanted me and my little family to join his. In a way, I gained two amazing brothers and tons of nieces and nephews that day and I never regretted my decision to leave my universe for this one.

Being with the Doctor allowed me to be reunited with my Jenny and, through some twist of fate, I was also reunited with Jamie. The guilt of what happened to him resurfaced but we were able to fix what had been broken and my "son" was whole again. I still see the look on Jenny's face the day she married Jamie and I became a grandfather again. Oh, I'm not talking about their twins. I am talking about six young orphans that they adopted after a trip to the past and I love all of my grandchildren with all of my harts.

Now, recovering from being slightly paralyzed after my accident had left me wondering if I could have children and Frankie and I had long talks about it. Imagine my reaction when Martha told me that my little "swimmers" were fine and that there was a high possibility that I could get Frankie pregnant.

Though busy with one thing or another, I drove Frankie bonkers while she was pregnant and would spend a lot of time stroking her swollen stomach and sending love and comfort to our unborn child. I didn't care if it was a boy or a girl. I was a father…no, change that…I was a daddy again and couldn't wait to see whoever it was.

I remember thinking how perfect he was when I held him in my arms for the first time and that he smelt like hollyhocks. A strange smell coming from a boy but that is what he smelt like. He had this little red face and his nose was pushed up a bit but it returned to its normal position the next day. He had all of his little fingers and toes…

Blimey, I never realized how big my feet were compared to his tiny feet and how long my fingers were.

Uh, going back to what I was saying, he was perfect and Frankie had a hard time getting him away from me. I don't want to let him go. He's mine! I can carry him anytime I like and I WILL show him and his tiny little belly knot to everyone I meet! No one is going to make fun of his bellybutton and he will have a daddy that will love him and show him all of time and space!

"Whoa, that's a bit much," Frankie said while Theta sat at the computer and he looked up at her. She was holding Cameron in her arms as he smiled and sat back in the chair.

"Well, it's true. I don't care if people think I'm daft when I show off his belly knot," he said as he stood up and took Cameron out of her arms. Peeking under the blanket, he frowned when he saw the little dressing that covered Cameron's belly knot was gone and he poked at the little hole. "Hey, where did it go?"

"It fell off," she said as he sighed then pouted. "Don't worry. I put it in his baby book."

"Ew, but at least we have it, don't we," Theta said as he rubbed noses with Cameron and Cameron wiggled in his hands.

"Why are you writing this?" she asked, pointing to the screen and he smiled, rocking Cameron in his arms.

"I am going to keep a journal about our little family."

"That's a great idea! I was going to do that but I'm rubbish when it comes to putting my feeling into words," she sighed as he walked closer and kissed her cheek.

"No, you're not," he said when Cameron's face went red and Theta sniffed the air. "Oh, blimey, he pooped!"

"Give him here," she said when he handed Cameron to her and she left the room. After she left the room, Theta sat down as he read what he had written then smiled and typed on the keyboard.

If there is one thing I have learned in my long life, it is that things change where I don't but I think now that I have changed and it's for the better. I promise, here and now, that I will be here for my children and woe to anyone who tries to take them away from me.

Nodding, Theta saved what he had written then turned the computer off and got up, leaving the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

It's funny that only ones who know what it was like for their wives to have children naturally are Jamie and me. See, I've known since that day at Bad Wolf Bay…

"Hey, that rhymes," Alan said while looking over Adam's shoulder and Adam looked at him then sighed.

"You just made me lose my train of thought," Adam said, smiling.

"Beep…Beep…Beep…Ok, back her up, Boys, nice and steady," Alan said and Adam laughed.

As I was saying, I knew since that day that I wanted a life with Rose….

"Her name's Marion."

"I know, but since this happened before I met you, it's Rose?"

"Yeah, but people might think you were doing the nasty with my wife."

"Uh, no thanks, I'll stick with mine."

"Are you saying there's something wrong with my wonderful Starlight?"

"No, she's wonderful. Not as wonderful mine though"

"Whatever," Alan said while Adam sighed and rolled his eyes.

When it came down to my feeling for my wife, I was sure that she wanted her Doctor back and I wrote a letter explaining that I could be him if she wanted. Turns out that she loved me for me and we started our life together. But, thanks to a bad appendix, that life was nearly over before it began. After nearly dying, I was determined to have children with her and nothing was going to stand in my way.

"Except for…" Alan said and Adam turned, looking back at him.

"Don't get ahead of me."

"Sorry."

It was when she was three months pregnant with our daughter, River, that I found out there was something standing in our way. Being human, her body wasn't able to cope with my Gallifreyan genes and the fetus was going to be lost. I guess that's what happens when you're HALF human and HALF Time Lord.

"Did I have them?" Alan asked he placed his chin on top Adam's head and Adam reached back, swatting his arm.

"Yes, and John had them, too."

"Blimey."

Another thing that puzzled me was the fact that I was born psychic. Not a bad little talent but it bugs the hell out of me. My first psychic dream was the plans for a birthing ball, an incubator, birthing suits and a belt that let my wife feel our unborn child moving inside her. After putting the designs down on paper, I had to practically BEG my father-in-law to let me save our unborn child.

"Hold it, you never told me that part of the story," Alan said and Adam sighed, sitting back in the chair.

"It wasn't until I started crying that he agreed to it."

"That bastard," Alan growled and Adam nodded.

I was never as nervous as that day that I had to operate on my wife and removed the fetus from her womb. My in-laws were not happy either but they were happy when I told them that the fetus was alive. River didn't seem to mind being inside the birthing ball and her telepathic powers were present from the start. She was also a little empathic and could sense when things were wrong. I still shiver when I think about her taking her first breathes in my hands. She was a chubby, happy baby and will always be my princess.

"Aw, that's sweet," Alan said and Adam shrugged, smiling.

Then the darkest days of my life happened. When River was eight months old, we decided to try again to make a baby and, two months later, it was confirmed that my wife was pregnant. Both of us were shocked to learn she was going to have twins and so were my in-laws. A week after finding out, my wife started cramping and I knew what was wrong. My wife agreed to let me operate on her again but I was too late. Both of the fetuses were dead and my mother-in-law slapped me so hard that I was afraid she had shattered several of my teeth. We waited until River was a year and a half to try again but, sadly, my wife miscarried a second time. That was when we agreed not to have any more children and I thought about having a certain operation.

Adam looked at Alan while he covered his eyes with his hands and softly sniffed.

"Are you crying?" Adam asked and Alan wiped his eyes.

"Hunh, no, it's summer allergies," he said and Adam arched an eyebrow at him.

"We don't get summer allergies," he said with a smile then started typing again.

When Rain was two years old, I did something that I regret doing to this very day. My brother and I are still not sure how it happened but one of his old enemies, the Valeyard, followed him from his universe to mine and kidnapped River. He thought that River was my brother's daughter and was going to use her as bait to lure him into a trap.

"Yeah, that bugs me, too. Your brother told us that, unlike my brother's Valeyard, his was caught at the end of his sixth life's trial and was placed in prison," Alan said.

"He told me that he thought he was killed along with everyone else when his Gallifrey was destroyed. Turns out that his Romana freed all the prisoners and his Valeyard escaped. He also thought he was the only survivor until he found out about my brother," Adam said.

"And he followed your brother to your universe but how the hell did he get into mansion?"

"He looked just like me and my brother. Thing is, my Pete hated my brother. So his Valeyard just being able to stroll into the mansion and grab my daughter shouldn't have happened."

"Hm, it is a mystery."

"Yep, but it's a mystery for another day, Sherlock."

"I'll hold you to that, Watson," Alan said as Adam laughed and started typing again.

My wife begged me to let my father-in-law and brother handle things but this was MY daughter and I was NOT going to let the monster that took my daughter get away with it! My brother had found out where his Valeyard had taken River and I demanded that my father-in-law take me with him, even though I knew that I could be killed if or when I face my brother's Valeyard. My brother was already captured by the time we arrived and I was thrilled to find my daughter safe and sound. I demanded that my father-in-law remove my daughter from the building and went to find my brother and his Valeyard. Now, normally, I do not like guns but I had lost all my Gallifreyan senses and was acting like a stupid human ape. I had practiced small arms while I worked for my universe's Torchwood and wasn't a bad shot. When I found my brother and his Valeyard, his Valeyard was on the ground and my brother told me to put the gun down. What he didn't know was that his Valeyard was getting up and I told my brother to duck. I can still hear the sound of the gun as I pulled the trigger and shot his Valeyard twice in the chest, one bullet for each of his black hearts. I don't remember much after that. My wife told me that my in-law had forbidden my brother to ever see us again and would be locked up as a hostile alien if he tried. After having a series of intense nightmares, my wife begged my brother to return and that it would be in my best interested to go immediately to Crystal Waters, where I spent months undergoing massive therapy sessions. The people there were nice and I recovered. My brother brought my wife and River to see me and it was during one of my private times with my wife that we conceived my son, James.

"One flew east…one flew west…Adam fucked Marion in the…" Alan said while Adam glared at him and he coughed. "Sorry."

I was a wreck when my wife told me she was pregnant and made my brother take her to his unviserse and swear to place James in the birthing ball the second she started showing signs of a miscarriage. This wasn't easy because the rift that opened between our worlds was unstable but he came to get me two days before she started bleeding and both of us were able to save my son's life. River was three at the time and was thrilled to become a big sister. After I was finally released from Crystal Waters, we decided to try again but fate had other plans. My wife miscarried two more times and the last time was when we decided to give up trying.

"Then I came along and saved you from a life of wrinkles, bad eyes sight and gray hair!" Alan said proudly and Adam snorted. "What? I did!"

"Yep, and I couldn't ask for a better best friend," Adam said and Alan hugged his neck. "Let go."

"No, we're best buds and we need to stay together!"

"Well, can you loosen your grip?" he asked and Alan let go, placing his chin on top of Adam's head.

Looking back, the best thing that ever happened to me was the day I became a full Time Lord and my wife and kids became a Time Lady and Time Children. The down side to it was my in-laws rejected us and we haven't spoken or seen them since.

"Good riddance," Alan said and Adam nodded.

Of all the people I do miss in my universe, I miss my…

"Go on, it's ok," Alan said, patting Adam's head.

I miss my best friend. I have heard that people have a twin but little did I know that my twin was a well known actor. He was so stunned when we met and is the godfather to both River and James. They have met and Jamie was allowed to be in one of his tv movies a few years ago.

"I remember seeing it. He was the dad, right?" Alan asked.

"Yep," Adam said, popping the "p".

"Did you give him any pointers on how to be one?"

"Yeah, it's one of the reasons why he won the BAFTA for it," Adam said with a smile.

Life was good until a few months ago when the Doctor, his wife, Rain, and their adopted daughter, Tara, were kidnapped and Rain decided that the best thing to do to insure the Doctor and Tara's freedom was to leave and become human again with no memory of any of us.

"You skipped something."

"I was getting to it."

Now, like I said earlier, I have psychic dreams and the one I had during this time put me into a coma. No, correct that, I put me in a coma. See, what I saw was so startling that my mind just…

"You ran."

"Yep," Adam said, popping the "p".

My mind ran away. If anyone asks what it's like to be in a coma, I can proudly say that it is BORING! You don't really dream. You can barely hear what people are saying. But, most of all, you are fucking bored! You want to wake up but your mind doesn't want to. The neat bit was when I learned to astral project and…

"Adam, the Friendly Spook, friendliest spook you know," Alan sang and Adam laughed.

To make a long story short, I woke up and Rain came home. The Doctor had gone to find her and she came back pregnant with their triplets. This started a baby boom within our little group and the other women, including my wife, became pregnant.

"Yep, couldn't let Rainy have all the fun," Alan said and Adam smiled.

Of course I was terrified at the idea of my wife losing another baby and had prepared the birthing ball just in case we needed it. But, thanks to her being a Time Lady, my wife didn't need it. I spent a lot of time pampering and spoiling her and I know that I also was driving her totally bonkers.

"Didn't she throw a chair at you?"

"Yep, but I ducked," Adam said and they laughed.

It's been over a week now and I still can't believe that I have a son. He looks like me in every way and has the most soulful eyes I have ever seen. His name is David Alan Storm and was named for the two best friends a Time Lord could ever wish for.

Adam heard sniffing when he looked over at Alan standing at the window and got up, walking to him. Wiping his eyes, Alan turned when he looked at Adam and Adam smiled, holding his arms out. Adam grunted when Alan hugged him when they heard the sound of a baby crying and Adam let go, walking to the small play cot sitting next to the desk. Bending down, he gently lifted David out of the cot when he stood up and held Daivd in his arms.

"Want me to hold him so you can finish?" Alan asked as Adam handed David to him then sat down and looked at the screen.

In the end, I always knew that I wanted to be a father and am proud to have been given the opportunity to be one three times. Will we have any more children? Well, only time will tell.

"I like that," Alan said while Adam saved what he had written then turned the computer off and stood up.

"Want to go bug Rain?" Adam asked as Alan's eye went wide and he grinned, nodding his head up and down. Taking David from Alan, they left the room when they saw Marion standing in the hallway and she had her hands on her hips.

"And where do you think you two are going with that?" she asked, pointing to David.

"We were just going to take him for a walk," Alan said and she arched her eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, it's his feeding time. Hand him over."

"But…but…but…" Alan stuttered as Adam handed David to her and she walked to the stairs, going upstairs.

"Oh, and Guys, Rain is in a mean mood so I'd stay away from her if I were you," she called down as they looked at each other and Adam sighed.

"Want to go bug her anyway?" Alan asked and Adam nodded. The door closed behind them after they left the house and the sound of whistling filled the air as they headed down the pavement.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"So?" Jenna asked while lying under the duvet with Jamie and her head rested on his chest.

"Eh?" Jamie asked while she stroked his chest and his hearts thumped softly in her ear.

"How does it feel to be a dad?"

"I've been a father before," he sighed as she felt his skin growing tighter and his breathing became hard and fast. She had forgotten that a part of his mind and soul had lived a full life a long time ago as she nodded and did little kisses on his chest.

"Tell me about them," she said as he placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

"Well, my first born was a boy named Alexander. I remember the midwife getting really angry when I kicked in the door an' stormed toward the bed. Men were supposed tae stay outside in those days but Rosealie an' I made him together an' I was nae going tae miss him coming into this world. He was a pretty big bairn an' had a great set of lungs. I could be out in the glen an' heard him crying," he said as she giggled and he started stroking her hair. "A year an' a half later was when my second son, Donald, was born. He wasnae as loud as Alexander but he was big. Alex wasnae pleased that there was another boy in the house an' would cover him up with a blanket so no one could see him."

"He really did that?"

"Aye, and one time, when he was older, he tried to sell Donny tae the lady down the road," he said and she softly laughed.

"Poor kid," she said as he nodded and wrapped some of her hair around his finger.

"I wasnae mad at him but we did have a wee man tae man talk aboot Donny an' I explained that it was a big job, being the oldest. He got the idea a year an' a half later when my third son, Daniel, was born. Now, Danny was like Alex when it came tae crying. It sounded like a siren going off," he said as she laughed and kissed his chest. "Two years later was when my fourth son, Hamish, was born."

Looking up at him, Jenna noticed sadness in his eyes and she blinked, snuggling closer.

"Did he...die?" she asked, knowing that infant deaths were high in his timeline.

"Och, no, he lived. See, out of all of us, I think I'm the only one that understands what the Doctor an' Rain are going through."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking aboot Namid."

"Namid is…Hold it, are you saying that Hamish was born blind?"

"Aye, he was. See, Rosealie had gotten ill while she was pregnant with him an' I was afraid I was going tae lose both of them. She got better but we didnae ken that he was blind until he tried tae crawl an' crawled into the wall. The doctor examined him an' told us that our little bairn was blind. He nearly got a dirk in the ribs when he suggested we drown Hamish in the river."

"What?" she asked with wide eyes and he sighed.

"He told us that children like Hamish were weak an' they wouldnae have any sort of life other than being a beggar. Now, me, I knew that my son wasnae weak an' would make his way in the world. I carved him this wooden stick so he could move around the house an' Alex used tae tie a string around Hamish's wrist when they went out tae play. We had explained tae the boys that Hamish couldnae see but they didnae care an' Alex was very protective of him. Though, tae be honest, I think most of the bumps an' bruises Hamish got were from rough housing with his brothers. A year and a half after Hamish's birth was when my first daughter, Ashley, was born. She had a set of lungs on her an' Hamish proved tae be a great big brother. Anyone who tried tae hurt her had tae duck because he would pull her behind him an' swing his stick at whoever it was. He never hit them but they got the idea nae tae be mean tae Hamish McCrimmon's wee sister," he said as she giggled and he kissed the top of her head. "Two years later was when my fifth son, James, was born. He had these two wee freckles on the bridge of his nose an' was a wee bit smaller than his brothers. A year and a half later was when my second daughter, Catherine, was born. Like her big sister, she had a set of lungs on her an' would wake us up exactly at two in the morning when she wanted tae be fed. The last of my children was…Mary."

Jenna knew the story about what happened to his daughter as she nodded and he sighed, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

"What happened to them?" she asked.

"Well, Alex went tae work on a horse ranch for a British laird an' ended up marrying the daughter of the head man. Her name was Grace an' she was a lovely lass. Mind you, she was also tough as nails an' never put up with Alex' silliness. Donny and Danny went off tae see on this fish trawler an' married twin sisters, Lily an' April. I had the hardest time trying tae remember which was which when they werenae with their husbands an' they loved pretending tae be the other one. James went tae work for the local carpenter an' married his youngest daughter, Natalie. Ashley married the son of a British laird, who wasnae keen on his son marrying a Scottish girl, an' they ran a small sheep ranch near where I lived. Catherine married the son of a local blacksmith an' he treated her like a princess. Ashley's husband was the same but he did a wee temper on him. He never hit Ashley but he wasnae very nice tae his ranch hands."

"What about Hamish?"

"Och, see, Rosealie an' I never treated him like he was different. We did make sure no harm came tae him an' let him grow up knowing that he shouldnae let his limits prevent him from having a good life. When he told us that he wanted tae become a teacher, we werenae really sure but he studied hard, with some help from a tutor, an' ended up teaching at one of our local schools. His friends used tae love playing pranks on him but he seemed tae ken what they were up tae."

"Did he ever get married?"

"Aye, he married a lovely girl named Lucy. She was a teacher at the school an' didnae care that he was blind. She loved the man inside an' never put up with his anger when people would pity him or look down on him. I remember this one time when we were all walking through town an' these women were looking at him with such detest in their eyes. Lucy just stopped then cussed them out an' I was sure she was going tae get arrested. Hamish didnae care an' laughed. He was used tae her being a spitfire," he said and she smiled.

"Do you remember what it was like to be a grandfather?"

"Och, aye, I do. Alex used tae tease me an' say that I loved spoiling them but nae my own children. I just told him that it's the grandfather's job tae spoil them," he said then sighed and she looked up at him.

"Then you died, got reborn, got your mind back and became a father all over again," she said as he smiled then nodded and she climbed on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her as she slid her hands under his arms and he wiggled a bit under her.

"That's why I was so reluctant tae ask you tae marry me. I wasnae sure if I should have anymore bairn because I felt like they werenae be mine but his."

"That's silly. This is your body."

"No, he might have sounded like me and looked like me but that's where it ends. Genetically, it's his body."

"You sure about that?" she asked as he gave her a confused look and she smiled. "Did you forget those tests my dad did after you got your mind and soul back together?"

"Aye, I ached for weeks."

"Did you ever ask him what he found out?"

"No, I didnae want tae to ken," he said when she climbed off of him and opened the nightstand drawer. He watched while she took out a small scanner then tossed it to him and he caught it with one hand. She snuggled down next to him when he pushed the button on the top left corner. Reading the information, he blinked several times when she took the scanner out of his hand and placed it back in the drawer. "Is that true?"

"Yep, according to the tests, some of your original genetic material was absorbed along with your mind and soul," she said, climbing on top of him and she kissed his lips.

"Are you saying that I cloned myself?"

"Well, it was more like you stabilized your DNA," she said when she saw the tears in his eyes and she got off of him and sat against the headboard. She held her arms out as he snuggled against him and she rocked him when he started crying. She waited until he stopped when she handed him a tissue and he blew his nose.

"Anyway, we didnae even have time tae get settled in this universe when we went off with the Doctor, Jack, Alan an' Adam an' found six wee orphans as well as one hell of a mystery."

"Yep, you were bound and determined to raise those kids even if it meant you and me staying in the past."

"I ken what they were going tae have tae go through if they were left on their own," he sighed and she rocked him.

"I never asked how you knew that. I thought you were raised by your laird."

"I was but I also spent three months in a workhouse until he got the proper guardianship papers. It was the longest an' scariest three months of my life."

"Well, they didn't have to do that and we ended up with six great kids."

"But it wasnae always easy, was it? Angus and Robbie were always getting into trouble, Ian nearly got killed in the hover car accident, Victoria had that abusive boyfriend an' Frazer..." he said with a smile and she giggled.

'Yeah, well, Frazer has always been the wild one."

"It still bothers me that he might end up like…" he said then sighed and she kissed his fingers.

"He isn't going to end up like Mary. The Doctor, let alone my dad, would never let them take him."

"I ken that but it still bugs me."

"What I'm happy about is Frazer finally told Angel that he loved her."

"Aye, that lad took his good time, unlike his brothers and sister."

"Yeah, Angus married Colleen practically after their first date. Robbie and Catherine got married on that ice planet and Ian and Toni got married on the beach."

"That just leaves Conner an' Victoria."

"Vicky does fancy Derek, so you never know. As for Conner, I don't think he'll ever find the right woman."

"What aboot Melissa? They seem tae be getting on."

"I don't know. Anyway, if she does marry him then she is in for a fight. Conner is really stubborn."

"Aye, that's true," Jamie said as he sat up then nodded and she straddled his hips, sitting on his legs. "Going back tae Frazer, I just hope he an' Angel wait a bit because I'm nae ready tae be a grandfather just yet."

"I don't think Alan is ready either."

"Och, I just realized that he an' I are family now."

"And what's so bad about that? Alan's nice."

"He's also bonkers. I swear someone dropped him on his head at some point," Jamie teased and Jenna giggled. Suddenly the sound of a baby crying filled the air as he sighed and Jenna kissed his lips. "Want me tae go get them?"

"If you don't mind," she said as she climbed off of him and Jamie moved the duvet back, getting out of bed. Turning the light on, he left the room when he walked down the hallway and walked into the nursery. He turned the light on when he walked to the cot and looked down at the twins. Tears dribbled down Zoe's cheeks as he picked her up and placed her head against his shoulder. Hushing her, he gently rubbed her back and sent love and comfort into her mind.

"Now, now, it's alright. Daddy's here," he whispered when he smelt something and held her away from his body, frowning. "Och, Pixie, what did you do?"

Zoe wiggled in his hands as he smiled then walked to the changing table and gently lowered her down onto it. Undoing the snaps on her sleeper and opening the nappy, he coughed then waved his hand over her and she giggled.

"It's a good thing Daddy has a respiratory bypass system," he teased then changed Zoe's nappy and placed the sleeper back on her. He did the snaps then picked her up and held her against his chest. He walked to the rocking chair when he sat down and placed his feet on the footstool. Gently kissing the top of her head, Jamie started rocking Zoe as he softly sang a Scottish lullaby and placed his cheek on the top of her head. A few minutes later, Jenna walked into the room when she saw Jamie and Zoe sound asleep and she took the blanket off of back of the rocking chair and covered them with it.

"Night, Love," she whispered as she kissed the top of Jamie's head then turned the light off, leaving the room, and Jamie softly smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"And lift…"

"And release…"

"And lift…"

"And release…"

Rose came out of the kitchen.

"Will you stop that? It's annoying!"

Alan looked up at her. He was lying on the floor on his stomach in front of his son, Christopher. His son was on a blue blanket on his stomach trying to raise himself up in order to look around. Alan, who had been observing him from the sofa, decided that he would get down on the floor and exercise with him as he rose up and down.

"I'm helping him," Alan said. "Our son is trying to lift his body and I'm giving him encouragement. Okay, Chris, lift and releeeeeease!"

His three month old son grinned at him which warmed his hearts. Even though he had brought up his daughter Angel from infancy, this was his first son, his son that was his and his alone. No more having to be content with just shared memories of Dex, no for the first time, he finally had a baby boy to call his own. He grinned when his son tried to lift his body again. Imitating him, he thrust his arms out and lift up the upper half of his body while his son giggled and cooed at him.

"And lift," he said while Rose rolled her eyes and smiled fondly at him.

"Come on and get up off the floor. The Doctor and Rain want us to come over for dinner tonight," Rose said.

"And releeeeeas-ah! Oh alright, if we must," Alan said. "Come along, my son, we must get ready and go to dinner with the boring Doctor family."

He got up and picked his son up off the floor. Rose smiled as Alan held him close and stared down at him with love in his eyes.

"Look at him, Starlight, isn't he gorgeous. We finally have one we made ourselves."

Rose smiled and came up beside him. She put her hand on her son's head and kissed his cheek.

"Our little baby boy," she said softly. "Our little miracle."

Alan raised his eyebrow.

"Seems our little miracle has a glob of snot coming out of his left nostril now. Nothing like a glob of snot to kill a lovely mother, father and son interlude. Well, come on, Snotty Face, let's get ya cleaned up so we can listen to the old geezer boast about how his three kids are better than you."

Rose grinned and patted him on the back while Alan held his son close and walked towards the bathroom.

"Ah, welcome, welcome," the Doctor said as he opened the door and let Alan, Rose and Christopher inside. "Tara is here with us tonight. We thought we'd have a nice dinner and then perhaps a few rounds of poker."

"Sounds lovely, is Rainy Painy gonna flip out her boobies and feed the nipper kippers in front of us as part of the entertainment?" Alan asked.

"No!" Rain said from the kitchen.

"Bollocks, was hoping that would encourage Rose to do the same," Alan said as he walked past the Doctor with Christopher in his arms.

The Doctor looked at Rose.

"How d'ya do it?" he asked her.

"Do what?"

"Stay sane after all these years of livin' with him?"

"Who says I'm sane?" Rose said, shrugging.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and went to the kitchen to greet Rain while the Doctor closed the door. Alan flopped down on the sofa with Christopher in his arms and gave him a smug grin as he walked towards him.

"Guess what, old timer?" Alan said. "My son, who I am very proud of, can raise half his body without help."

"So, my children have done that already and now they're starting to sit up without help, so nah!" the Doctor replied. "I'm willing to bet they'll be walking and talking long before your rug rat will."

"Oh, is that so? How much are you willing to wager?"

The Doctor stepped back when Alan jumped up and got in his face.

"Are you willing to wager…YOUR VERY LIFE, OLD MAN?" he yelled at him.

There was a short burst of silence as the two men stared at one another. Even the children were quiet. Finally, they heard Tara in the kitchen saying, "Okay, Mum, is Alan drunk or something?" and that was enough to start the two brothers laughing hysterically.

"Yes," the Doctor said between giggles, "I want to wager my very life."

"Okay, Chris, you hear that? Start walking and talking, I want my brother's hearts on a skewer," Alan said to his son who was looking up at them with a bewildered expression on his face. "And don't look at us like that, we're not insane, are we, Brother?"

"Um…weeeeell, maybe just a tad."

"Okay," Alan said to Chris, "we're a tad insane but it's nothing to worry about so don't be scared."

Rain leaned out of the kitchen.

"No, Chris, be scared, be very, very scared," she said.

After eating pot roast and mashed potatoes, the two couples sat down at a card table to play poker while Tara watched TV and kept an eye on the children as they rested in a playpen. They had played a couple of rounds using British money for their bets. So far the Doctor was winning and with each passing second Alan was becoming more and more irritated as his cash dwindled.

"Better gjve up while you still have some money and your dignity left," the Doctor said to his brother.

"Give up? Nevah!!" Alan said while Rose and Rain exchanged glances from across the table.

The Doctor shrugged.

"Very well, Brother, I see I shall have to teach you a lesson then," the Doctor said as he shuffled the cards and dealt them out.

Everyone looked at their cards. While they were thinking, Rose glanced at Alan who was pulling exaggerated looks of pain and misery.

"What are you doin' now?" Rose said to him.

Alan gave her a haughty look.

"I'm psyching you out. I'm pretending to have a really lousy hand so you'll bet more before I win. It's a strategy I thought up all by my lonesome."

"Well, Mister Lonesome, think up another strategy because it's not working," Rain said.

Alan sniffed and went back to looking at his cards while Rain rolled her eyes and sighed. While they began to place their bets, Alan suddenly began to mutter to himself. The Doctor snickered as Rain shot him an odd look.

"Now what are you doing?" Rain asked him.

"Mum mum mum mah p-p-p-p-poker face," Alan sang.

"Geez," Rain muttered, shaking her head.

She gasped when Alan suddenly began to sing loudly and bop around in his seat.

"CAN'T READ MY, CAN'T READ MY, NO THEY CAN'T READ MY POKER FAAACE. HE'S GOT TO LOVE SOMEBODY!"

"Hey! Lady Gaga, place your bet and stop singing, no one wants to hear you mangling songs!" Rain yelled at him while the Doctor and Rose snickered.

Alan looked at her and pointed at his face.

"Mum mum mum mah p-p-p-p-poker faaa-ace!" he sang to her as he pointed repeatedly at his face.

"P-p-p-p-place, place your bet," Rain sang back as Rose chortled.

"Oh oh-whoa-whoa-whoa, oh whoa-whoa-whoa, I'll get her hot, show her what I got," Alan sang while he pointed to Rain.

"I'll show you what I got, a big frickin' fist and it'll crash right into your face if you don't shut up and play the game!" Rain said while the Doctor and Rose laughed.

"Very well, my serenade is over…for now," Alan said, laying his cards down on the table.

Alan glanced down at his cash and noticed he only had six pounds left. He glanced at the table and noticed the bet was for at least ten pounds. He glanced at the Doctor and noticed his smirk.

"Problems, Brother?" the Doctor said innocently. "Not able to raise Rain's bet, is that why you look so glum?"

Alan thought while Rain sighed and muttered, "Sit this hand out, for Christ's sake."

Alan thought for a moment and then his eyes widened as he snapped his fingers.

"Got it, I know what I can use for the bet," he said.

"Oh, this oughta be good," Rain muttered as he got up from his chair.

He walked over to the sofa, picked up his son and the blanket he was lying on and walked back to the table.

"There we are," Alan said, laying him down on the blanket beside the money. "I see your tenner, Rainy, and raise you my son."

"Get him off the table, Alan," Rose said as the Doctor howled with laughter. "You're not using our son as a poker bet."

"Wait, let me get this straight," the Doctor said, holding up his hand. "I win this hand, I get your son?"

"Yes, you do and…"

"No, he doesn't!" Rose said, getting up and picking her son up.

"Wait, that's my bet, you can't do that!" Alan said as Rose walked over and handed Chris back to Tara.

"Anyway," Rose said, sitting back down in her chair. "Alan is out for this hand then?"

"No, I'm not out. I refuse to be out. So therefore, if you won't let me bet my son, I'll bet you instead."

"So if I win this hand, I get Rose as a wife?" the Doctor said.

"Yes, you do and…OW!" Alan said as Rose smacked him on the back of the head.

"Anyway…" Rose said, picking up her cards.

"Anyway," Alan said in a snotty voice.

His eyes widened when Rose raised her fist. Shaking his head, he walked over to the sofa, slumped down and sulked while Rose rolled her eyes.

"Christ, big baby," Rose muttered as she took his cards and put them at the bottom of the deck. "Anyway, on with the game…"

Alan looked at Tara who was rocking Namid in her arms.

"Can you believe the nerve of that woman?" Alan said to her as he pointed to Rose. "Making me sit out this round when I still had things to bet!"

"Addicted to gambling much?" Tara muttered as she kept her eyes on the TV.

"I'm not a gambling addict!" Alan said as the Doctor and Rain laughed. "I just realize that there are more valuable things in this room than the money on the table. Him, for instance," he said, pointing to his son who was lying on the blanket beside him. "Look at him. He's gorgeous. He oughta be able to fetch at least fifty quid on the baby black market and here I am, possibly giving him for free to my brother."

"No thanks, got one of my own now," the Doctor said as he laid his cards down on the table. "Two actually, if you wanna get technical."

"That's right, rub it in," Alan said.

"Gladly," the Doctor said as he scooted his winnings over in front of him.

He held up his finger and cleared his throat.

"Neener, neener, neener," he said calmly as the women laughed. "There, I just rubbed it in. Now…wanna try your luck again or are you out for good?"

"No, I'm finished," Alan said.

His mouth dropped open when the Doctor reached across for his last six quid.

"You said you were finished and this money would have gone to me anyway," he said when Alan started to protest.

"Fine!" Alan said as everyone laughed. "I'll just take your second-born son then. I'm sure he'll fetch at least one hundred quid on the baby black market!"

"You do and your body parts will be fetching quid on the body parts black market," Rain said.

Alan scooped up Chaska and walked past her.

"Hand, talk to it," he said to her, holding up his hand as he breezed past.

"And just where are you going with our son?" Rain asked him.

"Out back to get some air…and no, I'm not gonna drown him in your swimming pool, so don't say it," Alan yelled back over his shoulder while everyone laughed.

He opened the patio door and stepped outside in the slightly chilly night air of New Gallifrey. He wrapped the blanket tighter around Chaska's body and began to walk slowly around the perimeter of the pool while Chaska stared up at him quietly.

"I wouldn't bet you, Chas, I was only pulling your leg," he said to Chaska as he walked. "I would be sad if you ended up on the baby black market. Besides, your father's a good bloke and I wouldn't do that to him either."

He slowed his pace and looked at the moon's reflection in the pool water. He stopped and turned Chaska so he could see it.

"Look, isn't that gorgeous? That's our moon," he said to Chaska while he stared quietly. "This is your home, Chas, it's a beee-eautiful place and I hope you love it as much as I do."

He held him against his body and resumed his pace around the pool. While he did that, Chaska began to coo softly and Alan smiled at that.

"You enjoyin' yourself, Chassy?" he said to him. "I hope you are. Too bad you probably won't remember this but there'll be more moments to come, beautiful, wonderful moments like this that we'll both enjoy."

"Mind if I join your stroll?"

Alan looked over and saw the Doctor at the patio door holding Christopher against him.

"Oh-ho, finally tire of winning, did ya?" Alan teased as he walked past him.

"Not at all, I enjoy winning and trashin' your arse," the Doctor said, walking over to his side. "It's just that I recognize a nice idea when I see it and a moonlit stroll around the swimming pool with our sons is a very nice idea. 'Sides, your misses and mine were nearly out of cash as well so I let them walk away with their dignity intact. Which is more than I can say for you, Lady Gaga."

"I like Lady Gaga, she has catchy tunes," Alan said as they walked.

The Doctor smiled down at Christopher who was staring up at him with wide eyes.

"He's beautiful, Brother. He'll be a handsome man," the Doctor said as they slowly walked.

"That he will. He'll be a real ladykiller and so will this little tyke. With that brown skin, the ladies will be all over him."

"Yes, I love that he inherited the wife's pigment and Namid as well. Poor Soki though, I s'pose Rain only had enough pigment for two so Soki has to suffer with my pale pasty skin. But…she'll be beautiful nonetheless. Even though we suffered when we were Callum's prisoners, something beautiful came of it."

"Are you ever going to tell them the truth?" Alan asked.

"About what?" the Doctor said.

"What happened the night you conceived them. How Callum forced you and Rain to have sex."

The Doctor stared down at Christopher who was looking around in silent wonder while he thought about that.

"I don't know, Alan," he finally said. "I don't know if we should. That whole mess a few months ago is too painful for me to think about, let alone talk about with my children. I'd rather they grew up thinking that they were conceived without us being forced into it and that we planned to have them all along. But…if we do decide to tell them, I'll wait until they're old enough to understand."

"Well, in that case, Grampy-poo, better make it sooner than later."

"You just like to rub it in how old I am, don't ya?" the Doctor said.

"Yeah and you rub it in about my losing streak, Grampy-poo. By the time your kids are old enough to drive, you'll be an old age pensioner in the old folk's home."

"Care to see just how weak and frail I really am, Junior?" the Doctor said, stopping.

"Bring it on, Viagra Hustler; I'm not scared of you or your geriatric ass-kicking!" Alan said, stopping with him. "By the time you get your arthritic leg moving fast enough to plant it in my butt cheeks, I'll be in and out of the house with a cricket bat."

The Doctor snorted.

"Don't flatter yourself, Infant Alan, I can run circles around ya."

"I know that. Because you're so senile, you have no sense of direction and you're too thick to stop to ask for help."

"Oh…am I?" the Doctor said as Rain, Rose and Tara laughed and walked over to patio door to watch and listen. "Well at least I'm not bouncin' around the house like Tigger from Winnie the bloody Pooh while I sing Lady bleedin' Gaga songs at the top of me lungs."

"You wouldn't know Lady Gaga from a hole in the ground, Gramps. Your musical tastes run more towards Cher since she's about as old as you are."

"Oho, I'm gonna go find her and tell her you said that."

"Go ahead, Methuselah, I'm not scared of her or you or any of your other OAP pals that you meet while you fly around in your equally old as you TARDIS. While you're off eating at…Bob Evans or some other restaurant that mainly serves the elderly and shittin' in your pants cause you're too thick to wear nappies, I'll be shaggin' Rose and making more of me and coverin' this entire planet with my spawn."

"In that case, I'll be gettin' in my equally old as me TARDIS and haulin' ass away from here since once you populate New Gallifrey with your…spawn, as you put it, the entire planet will be shunned by the rest of the civilized universe because no one in their right minds will want to come and live among a bunch of bouncin', singin', hyperactive 24/7 fools!"

"Least I can bounce and sing without suffering bodily injuries and hernias and arthritic attacks, Old Man."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!" Alan shot back as they walked towards their wives.

"You two done with the pissing contest or are you gonna start using your sons like sacks of doorknobs and hitting each other with them?" Rain said as Rose and Tara laughed. "Because if you're about to fight like infants, give us back the real infants so they won't grow up with brain damage."

"Yes and I don't want you walkin' off with Chris so you can go bet him on the horses or something," Rose said, holding her hand out.

Alan stared at the hand.

"You want me to put him into your hand like a pound note or are you going to be carrying him properly since you lot are the one concerned about brain damage," Alan said while the Doctor sniggered.

Rose reached out with both hands and took Chaska out of his hands.

"Good, but that's the wrong…"

Rose gave him a pointed look as she passed him to Rain. Then she walked over and took Chris away from the Doctor.

"I was getting both of them away from the two of you," Rose said, cuddling Chris against her body. "Now you are both free to kick each other's arses all night long."

"Nah, I'm bored…and hungry. Want more food now," Alan said, rubbing his stomach as he went passed her and walked inside.

"Yeah, I want more of your delicious cookin', Rain," the Doctor said. "I'm no longer interested in kickin' Brother's arse."

"That's because you couldn't get it high enough off the ground to reach me bum!" Alan said from inside the house.

"You wanna bet, Infant Alan?" the Doctor said loudly as he went inside.

Rain and Rose glanced at each other as they continued their taunts.

"Sometimes, Sis, I wonder who are the real babies in this family," Rain said as Rose nodded in agreement.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Now where are we going again?" David asked as he held Little David is his arms and Adam's legs stuck out from under the console. He had gone back to his universe to get his best friend and was surprised that he wanted to come with him for a ride in his TARDIS.

"It's a surprise," Adam said when he slid out from under the console and stood up. He took his four month old son from David as David sat on the jump seat and Adam leaned against the console.

"I still can't believe that this is real," David said as he looked at the rotor moving up and down and Adam smiled at him.

"Care to do the honors?" he asked while David got up and walked to the console. Adam held Little David against his chest while he watched David moving around the console and David flipped switches, turned buttons and flipped levers until he placed his hand on the main hand break and looked at Adam.

"Um, can I ask you something?" David asked with a sigh to his voice and Adam nodded. "What is it like?"

"What is what like?"

"What is it like to be a dad? See, I thought I'd be a father by now. My dad had three kids by the time he was my age."

"Well, it's not all fun and games. There are the sleepless night, the tantrums, the fights and other stuff."

"I know that but you seem to be enjoying yourself."

"I am now. You should have seen me before he was born," Adam asked as he rocked Little David in his arms and his son softly cooed.

"Oh, come off it, you weren't that bad," David said with a smile and Adam smiled back.

"That's because I have you for a best friend."

"I thought your best friend was Alan."

"Did someone mention me?!" Alan said as he strolled inside the TARDIS and held Christopher in his arms.

"I thought I locked the doors," Adam said when Alan snapped his fingers and the doors closed. "Oh, sure, show off in front of David."

"Ok, I will!" Alan said when he handed Christopher to David then stood on his hands and walked around the room. "Bet you can't do that!"

"I can so!" Adam said when he handed Little David to David, who grunted, then stood on his hands and walked toward Alan.

"Don't look at me, Guys, they're YOUR fathers!" David said as he looked at the babies and both of them cooed at him. Alan and Adam walked on their hands while David smiled when they lowered their legs and stood up. Walking to David, they took their sons then held them and David clapped his hands. "You two are bloody bonkers."

"No cussing in front of my son!" Alan said.

"Yes, no swearing in front of your godson," Adam said and David pouted, giving them sad puppy eyes.

"Sorry," David said then sniffed and Alan looked at Adam, arching an eyebrow.

"Are you sure he isn't related to us?" Alan said as they laughed and David walked to the main hand break. Placing his hand on the main hand break, David moved it down when the rotor moved up and down and the TARDIS hummed around them.

"Where are we going?" Alan asked while rocking Christopher and David sat down on the jump seat.

"Like I told him, it's a surprise," Adam said when the rotor stopped moving and the TARDIS made a soft thump when it landed. They looked at him when Adam placed his son in David's arms and walked up the ramp, vanishing into the wardrobe room. He came out a few minutes later with five colored robes and a wicker basket and walked to the console, placing the wicker basket down on the grating. "Here, put these on."

Taking Christopher from Alan, he handed Alan a yellow cotton robe with rune symbols on it and Alan looked at it, holding it out in front of his body.

"Not exactly my color," Alan said and Adam rolled his eyes.

"Just put it on. Oh, take your shoes and socks off," Adam said as Alan nodded, kicked his converse sneakers off, took off his socks, and stuffed his socks into his converse sneakers. Sliding his arms into the sleeves then placing the robe over his head, Alan watched the robe float around his body when he looked at Adam and Adam smiled. Handing Christopher to Alan, he picked up Little David while David took his converse sneakers and socks off then stood up and Adam smiled. Adam handed him the blue cotton robe as David placed his arms into the sleeves and placed the robe over his head. David adjusted the robe when he took Little David from Adam and Adam took off his converse sneakers and socks. "Blimey, the floor's cold!"

"Yeah, we noticed," David teased as they laughed and Adam placed the white cotton robe on. Kneeling down on the floor, Adam opened the wicker basket when he held his hands out and wiggled his fingers at David. Taking Little David from him, Adam dressed Little David in a white cotton robe then placed him into the wicker basket and looked at Alan.

"Gimme," he said as Alan handed Christopher to him and Adam dressed Christopher in a white cotton robe and placed Christopher into the wicker basket. Standing up, Adam lifted the wicker basket off the floor as he nodded and they headed for the doors. Snapping his fingers, they watched the doors open as they walked outside and David's eyes went wide.

"Blimey," David said as Adam turned then closed and locked the door and slid his arm into the sleeve, placing the TARDIS key into his pocket.

"Where are we?" Alan asked as he looked around and Adam smiled. Spreading out around them were large trees with thick green leaves and long vines, lush green grass and a wide variety of large flowers and mushrooms. Birdsong floated in the air around them while large clouds floated lazily across the violet sky and the sunlight shimmered on the leaves.

"Welcome to Lanvalli III," Adam said as he picked up the wicker basket and walked toward the path. Alan and David half jogged after him as they looked at the large leaves bobbing in the soft wind and small insects buzzed around them. "Don't worry. They're harmless."

"This is amazing!" David said while looking at some glowing moss on some of the trees and Alan nodded, looking up at the trees.

"This put Avatar to shame," Alan said while Adam gently swung the wicker basket back and forth and the babies cooed.

"Yeah, it does," Adam said.

"Are we in my universe or yours?"

"This is my universe," Adam said when he smiled and Alan looked at him with a confused look on his face.

"Ok, Brother, what's with the face? Is there something you're not saying?"

"Well, you know that my brother told me not to go to dangerous planets, right?"

"Yeah, I remember him saying that."

"Well, the protocol program shorted out once and…"

"What did you do?" Alan asked when Adam stopped and held his hand up. Alan and David moved closer when Adam handed the wicker basket to David and parted the large blades of grass. Both David and Alan were stunned when they walked into the large glade and the babies looked around with wide eyes.

"Blimey!" Alan and David whispered while looking around and the sound of soft music filled the air. Rope bridges connected one branch of the trees to the other while wooden huts sat on platform and skin sacks filled with glowing bugs hung outside the doors to the huts. At the center of the glade was a large wooden hut with skulls of animals on pointed sticks encircled the hut and a trail of smoke rolled out of the hole in the roof. Smaller huts stood near the trees and some of them were selling fruits or dried meats and a medium size stone hut echoed with the sound of metal being pounded.

The people moving about the village were humanoid and looked like felines. Some of them had orange fur with black stripes and yellow eyes and white fur spread down their throats, chests and stomachs. White fur also covered their hands and feet and some had white fur on the tips of their long tails. Others had tan fur and black hair that ended at the top of their hips and amber eyes and the males had tufts of black hair at the end of their tails. There were a few with white fur with black stripes and blue eyes and others had jet black fur and yellow eyes. All of the people were lean and muscular and wore cloth loin cloths or dresses and the males wore metal bands around their biceps.

"This way," Adam said when he picked up the wicker basket and they headed toward one of the smaller huts. Alan and David noticed the most of the people carried their babies in wicker baskets as Alan looked into one wicker basket that had three babies in it and smiled. Adam gently tugged on his arm as he shook his head and Alan blinked. "Don't do that."

"Why?" Alan asked.

"They don't trust outsider."

"Then why aren't they attacking us?" David asked.

"It's because you look like A'da'm," a low growling voice said as Adam smiled and a large figure walked closer. His fur was so black that the sunlight didn't shimmer on it like it did on the others and a large scar ran up his right cheek up to the top of his head. His pointy ears twitched as he titled his head to tone side and the tips of two fangs stuck out from his upper lip.

"Greetings, M'nan'do," Adam said as he handed the wicker basket to David then pressed his hands together and bowed. M'nan'do did the same then looked at Alan and David and David placed the wicker basket down between his feet and pressed his hands together, bowing. Alan did the same while M'nan'do smiled and ruffled Alan's hair.

"Why are you here?" M'nan'do asked while he looked at Adam then looked at the wicker basket and the babies looked up at him. "Are these cubs yours?"

"One of them is mine and one of them is his," Adam said as he pointed to Alan and Alan puffed his chest out.

"Yep, mine is this handsome one," he said as he picked Christopher out of the wicker basket and M'nan'do looked at Adam.

"Is this the brain ill one?" he whispered and Alan's eyes went wide.

"What have you been telling them?" he demanded and Adam laughed.

"That I have a very strange family," he said and Alan frowned. "And this is my friend, David."

"Greetings, Da'vi'd," M'nan'do said as David nodded and smiled.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are your people called?" David asked.

"We are the Fe'na'li," M'nan'do said then looked at Adam. "Are you here for Za'mar'ath?"

"Yes, we are," Adam said when M'nan'do looked at Little David and picked him out of the basket. He held him away from his body as he looked him over then sniffed the top of Little David's head and smiled.

"He is ready," he said, handing Little David to Adam then looked at Alan and Christopher. "May I hold him?"

"Sure," Alan said when he handed Christopher to him and M'nan'do held Christopher in his hands and looked him over. Christopher giggled while M'nan'do sniffed the top of his head and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, he is ready but is like his father. A little brain ill," M'nan'do teased then winked at Alan and Alan laughed, taking Christopher from him. "Now, come, we must talk with Ka'ran'i."

"Who is he talking about?" David whispered as they walked by the huts then stopped in front of a tree and David looked the thick vine dangling from the branch above them. "Don't tell me that we have to climb up."

"Nope," Adam said then he tugged gently on the vine and it encircled his waist. He held on to the wicker basket as the vine lifted him up to the platform while M'nan'do followed him and David looked at Alan. Shrugging, the gently tugged on the vines as the vines encircled their waists and they rose into the air. Their cheering echoed through the air as Adam laughed then shook his head and they walked along the platform, across a rope bridge and headed for a small hut. Smoke trickled out of the hole in the roof as they walked to the doorway and M'nan'do pushed the skin curtain back.

"Wow," Alan whispered as they walked inside the hut and peered into the darkness. Bits of sunlight trickled down from the holes in the roof while something sat on a straw mat at the center of the hut and Adam placed the wicker basket down, kneeling on the floor. Nodding, he patted the floor as Alan and David knelt down and Adam bowed his head. Following him, Alan and David looked at the floor when something moved closer and moved fingers through their hair.

"A'da'm, it is good to smell you again," a soft female voice purred and Adam smiled, lifting his head. Sitting in front of them was a tall female and her gray fur was matted and a film covered her green eyes. She was wearing a tattered blue robe and a skull of a small bird hung on a cord around her neck.

"Ka'ran'i, it is good to smell you as well," he said as she took his hand and rubbed his fingers against her cheek.

"Who is with you?"

"This is my brother, Alan." Adam said as he placed Alan's hand in hers and she sniffed the back of Alan's hand, smiling.

"Ah, the brain ill one," she teased and Alan glared at Adam.

"Just wait until we get home," he growled and Adam yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.

"And this is my friend, David," Adam said as he placed David's hand in hers and she smelt the back of his hand.

"The one that can make women melt just by talking," she purred as he blushed and she stroked her hand against her cheek.

"Oh, nice, you make him sound like Casanova and I'm a loony," Alan sighed when Ka'ran'i tapped the tip of her claw against the tip of his nose and smiled.

"Lighten your heart. I am teasing. If both of you look like A'da'm then you are very handsome," she said.

"Wait, you know what he looks like?" David asked.

"Oh, yes, I…" she said when she heard the babies cooing and sniffed the air. "Where did these cubs come from?"

"One of them is mine and one of them is Alan's," Adam said as he lifted the babies out of the wicker basket and placed them in her lap. Little David and Christopher looked at her then smiled as they gently pulled on her gray hair and she smiled. She nuzzled the top of their heads then looked at Adam and held the babies against her chest.

"Are they here for Za'mar'ath?"

"Yes," Adam said when she licked the top of the babies' heads and Alan scrunched his face.

"We will do it this evening," she said then handed the babies back to Alan and Adam and they placed the babies back into the wicker basket. After saying their goodbyes, they left the hut and used the vines to get down from the tree and M'nan'do let them stay at his hut so they could rest.

"Ok, spill, how did you meet them?" Alan asked as he went to lie down on a straw mat and Adam laid the babies in a skin hammock, covering them with a cotton blanket.

"We found the planet by accident when Jamie was three months old. They were being attacked by slavers and I saved them," Adam said as David rested on the straw mat to his left and the babies drifted off to sleep.

"And how did you do that?"

"It's simple really. I told them that I worked for the Shadow Proclamation and would set the Judoon on them if they didn't bugger off," Adam said with a grin and David and Alan looked at him with a stunned look on their faces.

"There's a Shadow Proclamation in this universe?" Alan asked.

"I guess. Never met them myself," Adam said as he shrugged and they laughed.

"How did Ka'ran'i go blind?" David asked.

"I think she was born that way. Her mother was the medicine woman of the village and she took over the job when the slavers killed her mother. She was just trying to save her from being taken. If I was just a few seconds faster…" Adam sighed and they nodded.

"What is Za'mar'ath?" Alan asked.

"It's a naming ceremony."

"Shouldn't Marion be here then?"

"Nope," Adam said when David sat up and scratched the back of his neck.

"I get it. When it's a male, the father does the naming and, for a female, the mother does it," he said and Adam nodded.

"Give that man a TARDIS!" Adam said and they laughed. Lying down, they closed their eyes as they drifted off to sleep and the sound of soft music filled the air.

The sky was dark while the glowing moss twinkled on the trees and the sounds of drums filled the night air. A large fire crackled in the fire circle as Adam, Alan and David stood near the fire circle and Adam and Alan held onto the babies. The drums grew louder while M'nan'do led Ka'ran'i toward them and she held onto a large wooden cane. Bells jingled in the night air as the drums grew louder then stopped and Ka'ran'i turned, facing those gathered around them.

"Gather all and listen as we name four who wish to become one with us," she said as Alan looked at Adam and blinked.

"_Four?" _he thought.

"_You, David and the babies," _Adam thought and Alan's mouth dropped open.

"_I think I'm going to cry."_

"_Don't. They might think you're rejecting them," _Adam thought and Alan slightly nodded his head. Ka'ran'i slowly walked to David when she took his hands and he looked into her eyes.

"Da'vi'd, do you wish to join us?" she asked as he blinked then looked at Adam. Smiling, Adam nodded as David looked at Ka'ran'i and gently squeezed her fingers.

"Yes, I would be honored," he said as she let go of his fingers and removed a cord from her neck. At the end of the cord was a clear crystal and he helped her placed the cord around his neck. She nuzzled his nose as he smiled and she smiled back. Walking to Alan, she gently took Christopher in her arms then nuzzled the top of his head and held her over her head. Turning, she showed Christopher to the others as he blinked and wiggled in her hands.

"What is his name?" she asked, looking back at Alan.

"His name is Christopher," Alan said and she nodded.

"Behold Chri'sto'pher! We pledge to guide and raise him in our ways!" she said as the others lightly growled and Christopher giggled. Placing him in her arm, Ka'ran'i removed a small cord with a clear crystal on the end from a pouch on her robe belt and slid it around his neck. She softly licked his forehead as he wiggled in her arm then handed him to Alan and Alan smiled. "Now, A'la'n, do you wish to join us?"

"Yes, I would be honored," he said and she removed the cord with a clear crystal on the end around her neck. He helped her placed the cord around his neck when she nuzzled his nose then walked to Adam, taking Little David from him.

"What is his name?" she asked and Adam new that no Fe'na'li had the same name.

"His name is David Alan," he said as she nodded then turned, showing Little David to the others.

"Behold Da'vi'd'a'la'n! We pledge to guide and raise him in our ways!" she said as the others lightly growled and Little David giggled. Placing him in her arm, Ka'ran'i removed a small cord with a clear crystal on the end from a pouch on her robe belt and slid it around his neck. She softly licked his forehead as he wiggled in her arm then handed him to Adam. "Now that they have agreed to be one with us, let us eat!"

"THAT sounds like a good idea!" Alan said as they went to join the others and the sound of music filled the night air.

After saying their goodbyes and going back to the TARDIS, Adam placed the sleeping babies in the cots in the nursery then left the room and headed for the control room. David sat on the jump seat while Alan stood against the console and was twirling the cord around his finger.

"That was fun," he said as Adam walked closer and nodded.

"So, where do you want to go now?" David asked as he stood up and walked to the console, looking at the screens.

"Well, since I have the most handsome baby in the whole universe, I should pick where we go next!" Alan said and Adam blinked with a stunned look on his face.

"He is not. Mine is," Adam said.

"No, he isn't. He's a monkey face and that means I pick where go next!"

"Well, mine learned how to sit up before yours did!"

"He was taking his time!"

"He's a snail!"

"You take that back!"

"Make me, Brain Ill One!" Adam shouted when they felt a slight thumping sound and they looked at David, who was leaning against the console.

"What did you do?" Adam asked when he looked at the screens and saw that they were back in his garage.

"Well, seeing that you two were acting like children, I turned this TARDIS around and went home," David said as he walked to the doors, snapped his finger then left after the doors opened and they looked at each other with stunned faces.

"Are you SURE he isn't family?!" Alan asked as he went to catch up with David and Adam softly laughed, shaking his head. Shrugging, he went to get the babies while the rotor moved up and down behind the glass and the soft sound of humming filled the air.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"I'm so glad you brought the children over to see me today, Rainshower," Rain's dad said as they sat on his porch.

"I just hope I wasn't bothering you. The Doctor and Alan went shopping and I thought I'd come visit."

"You're never a bother and neither are they," John said, smiling at the triplets as they crawled around the porch.

They were now about seven months old and had been crawling for awhile. The opening that led to the steps had been screened off with a gate and Chaska was currently using it to stand up and try to climb over it to the steps below. John chuckled and scooped him up in his arms.

"This one is like his father. He doesn't like being cooped up for too long," John teased as he brought Chaska back over to his chair and sat down with him.

"Yup, he's been quite a handful but we're very proud of him," Rain said.

They laughed when Chaska struggled to get down from John's lap.

"Okay, little explorer, go be like your father," John said, setting him down on the ground.

John threw up his hands in mock exasperation when Chaska made a beeline for the gate and used it to stand back up.

"This is why I'm glad I had girls. They're so much sweeter," John said.

"Oh, I don't know about that. Namid can be a holy terror when she wants to be."

"Even with her blindness?"

"Ha! Dad, this kid can get around just as well as a sighted person," Rain said, picking her up off the concrete floor. "The Doctor also has to chase after her. Soki's the only one that's mellow. But the Doctor loves that they're so active, especially Namid. He was worried that she would be timid and shy but this little rug rat is anything but. I think my husband can't wait for the day when he can take them on adventures."

"In the meantime, they're having adventures of their own or trying to anyway," John said, getting up to get Chaska before he climbed over the gate.

Chaska cried as John brought him back to his chair and he gave him a kiss on the head.

"Sorry, little one, but I don't think your father would be happy if I let you fall and split your head open on the concrete steps."

He sat him down on the ground again and laughed as he jumped up and got in front of the gate when he once again went to it.

"Yup, just like your father, never gives up if he wants something badly enough," he said as Rain laughed.

He sat down on the floor in front of the gate and Chaska smiled as he came around to his side.

"See, now you have to find a way around me," he said to him as Sokanon came up on his other side. "Ah, teamwork, eh? Well, I'm more than a match for you both! How is the Doctor? He hasn't torn his hair out in frustration yet over these three?"

"No, not yet. He actually enjoys playing with them and feeding them and bathing them and being an all around good dad. He went on the internet and checked the TARDISes databanks to get all the information on how to be a good father since he didn't exactly have the best role model growing up. Sometimes I think he worries that he isn't doing enough but I think he's wonderful with the children. If he has to leave in the TARDIS, he always tries to come back a few minutes after he's left so the children won't miss him. He was a little bit shocked at some of their tantrums. Especially Chas since he has a tendency to beat his head on the floor when he screams and that frightened him since he thought Chas was gonna give himself brain damage. I told him that some babies do that and it doesn't seem to affect their IQ and he calmed down after that. Chas has got one hell of a temper though and that also worries him since he has quite a temper himself."

John smiled at Chaska who was sitting up and sucking on his hand.

"Perhaps he'll outgrow it in time, Rainshower. A lot of babies have tempers, it's part of growing up."

"Was I ever that bad?"

"Um…a bit but you were mainly quiet since Amber was always tormenting you," he said, letting out an angry sigh. "Thank God your sister grew up and got some sense into her."

"Yeah, tell me about it. I have a feeling the Doctor would have punched her face in if she'd kept up with that bullshit. I hated that they hated each other for the longest time. I'm glad she finally accepted him and everyone else and became a part of the family. Are you hungry again, Mi-mi?" she said when Mi-mi began to nuzzle her right breast.

She reached down into her diaper bag and pulled out a bottle filled with her breastmilk.

"I usually breastfeed them but since we're out in public…" Rain said while she took the plastic cap off the top of the bottle.

"It doesn't bother me none, Rainshower. Your mother breastfed Amber around me. I'm used to it."

"Yeah, but still, I don't know when Alan's coming back and I don't feel like hearing moo cow udder jokes," she said while John laughed.

"Ah, that's just his way, Rainshower. He loves teasing you. Pay him no mind, go ahead and do what you have to do."

"Just the same I'd rather be discreet," Rain said as Namid began to suck the bottle.

John smiled as he watched mother and child together. He looked down at Chaska who was trying to get past him to the door while Sokanon crawled over towards her mother's feet in order to look at a bug.

"Relentless, that's what you are, little one," John said to Chaska. "Never can accept defeat. I'm glad though. I'm glad you're like your father."

He smiled at his daughter.

"So…any plans for tonight? You know, I can babysit the children if you and your husband wanna go somewhere."

"I'd love to but I don't want to inconvenience you."

He held up his hand.

"I won't be. I love taking care of the children and besides Samuel, Tim, Linus and Wilf are here to help me out and they all love spending time with the kids too. You need a break, both of you."

"Thanks, Daddy."

"Now having said that, don't run off for twenty years on some wild adventure and leave me to raise the children to adulthood."

Rain laughed.

"Trust me, Dad; I don't think the Doctor would let you."

"At the Copa-Copacabana, the hottest spot north of Havana."

"What the?" John said as Rain laughed.

John shifted around and saw the Doctor and Alan turning the corner across the street. They were sharing the ear buds on Alan's IPod and were singing Copacabana in unison as they made their way towards John's house. John laughed at their loud and off-key singing as they strolled towards them.

"Her name was Lola," Alan sang as the Doctor gave him the other ear bud, "she was a minger. With tons and tons of raging VD that made it hurt when she went to pee."

"God," Rain said, shaking her head as the Doctor giggled.

"She was disgusting but very easy, so Tony threw her bum across the bar and raped her until she saw stars. She was a big fat whore and Tony shoved her out the door, now she has forty babies, who could ask for more at the Copa-Copacabana…"

By now John and the Doctor were laughing hysterically at Alan's improvised lyrics while Rain shook her head and turned her attention back to Namid. The Doctor walked up to the gate, stopped and looked at it in mock confusion.

"Um…barrier here," he said, pointing to it as Alan laughed. "Why is there a barrier here?"

"Because your son has a severe wanderlust and kept trying to leave the porch," Rain said to him.

"Well, that's to be expected since he's my offspring," the Doctor said as John got up off the ground and let him get over it.

He finished getting over the gate and smiled down at Chaska who was crawling up to his feet.

"So," he said, picking him up, "the escape artist had to be confined, eh? Well, I'm not surprised at that!"

He gave him a kiss on the cheek and Chaska held onto him as Alan stepped over, put his Ipod in his pocket and picked up Sokanon.

"Love, our father wants to take the children for tonight so we can go somewhere," Rain said as he sat down beside her on the porch swing.

"Really? Feeling brave this evening, John?" the Doctor said while Alan sat down with Sokanon in a metal chair nearby.

"How about mine, wanna put Chris and Chas together and see how much energy you'll have by the end of the evening?" Alan said.

"If you and Rose wanna go somewhere, bring him over here. I was telling Rain there's me, Samuel, Linus, Tim and Wilf. We're more than capable of watching them."

"Ah, but we shall see once you put Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum together in the same house along with the Wonder Twins, Mi-Mi and Soki. I'm betting you'll have heaps of grey hairs by the time we get back."

"Bring it on," John said as the Doctor laughed. "I'm not afraid of your kids!"

"Okay, you asked for it. But for the moment, I need to use the loo, can I?" Alan said, pointing to his door.

"Help yourself," John replied.

"thanks muchly," Alan said, getting up and putting Sokanon on the ground.

"I need to use the bathroom too so could you watch Mi-mi for a moment, Love?" Rain said to the Doctor.

"Dibs on the lavatory!" Alan said, speeding up and running inside.

Rain rolled her eyes as the Doctor grinned and took Mi-mi from him. She gave him a kiss and went inside leaving the two men alone with the babies.

"So, are you enjoying fatherhood?" John asked him.

"Oh yeah, it's wonderful. Mind you, it was wonderful bringing up our other children but this…having three children we made together, I'm just absolutely chuffed that this little miracle occurred."

"I'm glad it happened to you and her. You both needed biological children along with all your adopted ones. There's no greater joy than being a father."

"I wholeheartedly agree," the Doctor said as he smiled at Mi-mi in his arms.

"You've had so much pain and trauma in your life, Star Child, you deserve all the happiness you can get."

"Star Child, you haven't called me that in donkey's years," he said to John.

"Well, you still are a star child."

"You are as well."

"I know and I'll be forever grateful to you for granting me the gift of that crystal and allowing me to be here to see my grandchildren."

"My pleasure," the Doctor said with a tender smile.

He laughed when John threw up his hands again the moment he spied Chaska going for the gate.

"He's bound and determined to get over that gate and get away," John said, getting up to get him when Chaska started to climb over it.

"That's because he has the anti-domestic gene in his DNA. He needs a TARDIS of his own."

"I wouldn't give him any ideas if I were you, Doctor," he said, grabbing Chaska who started to fuss the moment he felt his arms around him.

"Thank you for offering to take care of them for tonight so I can take Rain somewhere."

"My pleasure. You need a break, I can tell just by looking at the gate climber here," John said, sitting back down with Chaska. "Like I told your wife, don't leave for twenty years and have me raise them."

"Not a chance, I'd miss them too much to be gone that long."

The door opened and Alan ran out and leapt over the gate.

"Be back with Chris in a few minutes or an hour or maybe two!" he yelled over his shoulder as he ran away.

The Doctor and John glanced at each other.

"Oh no, now what has he done."

"ALAN, YOU ASSHOLE!"

Both men flinched when they heard Rain scream from inside the house.

"Suddenly, I think Alan's running away was a good idea," John said as the Doctor nodded.

The door banged open and Rain glared at Alan who was by now across the street and speeding away from the house.

"What'd he do?" the Doctor said with wide eyes.

"Crapped out a log-sized piece of poop in the toilet and left it for me to find! Oh! I swear, the babies act more mature than he does! How Rose puts up with him without bashing in his brains with a mallet…"

The Doctor and John waited till she went back inside before snickering softly.

"Yup, your brother is very unique," John said.

"I'll say. I often wonder if he's my hidden comedian that I suppressed for years and years and all of that came out when I poured the regeneration energy into him."

John shrugged and grinned. The two men talked quietly with each other while the Doctor fed Namid and John played with his grandchildren.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"NO!"

The Doctor let out a frustrated sigh. His son was firmly in the middle of his terrible two stage and was defying his father every chance he could get. At the moment, the Doctor was trying to get him to go take a bath so they could go to the park. Sokanon and Namid had complied but Chaska had decided this was another moment to test his father's patience. The Doctor had a firm rule about never spanking his children but there were some moments when he felt tempted and had to go and take a breather to get his temper back under control. He wasn't used to being defied like this and it irritated him that his son was being so willful when all he wanted to do was take him somewhere nice for the day.

"Chaska, you need to have a bath, I'm not saying it again," he said sternly.

"NO, NO, NO, NOOOOOO!" Chaska howled. "I don't wanna take a bath!"

"Do you wanna go to the park?"

"Yes."

"Well, you need a bath then. You've played out in the garden and you have dried custard on your face. You need to get cleaned up before we go out."

"No! I don't want a bath!" Chaska said, stomping to the door.

The Doctor sighed and ran his hand through his tousle as Chaska stomped to the front door.

"Now what are you doing?" the Doctor asked as Chaska opened it.

Chaska turned and planted his hands on his hips.

"I gonna kill myself! Then you be sorry!" he said defiantly.

"Chas, that hurts me to hear you say that," the Doctor said.

"I gonna kill myself," Chaska muttered, stomping out the door.

The Doctor followed him, filled with curiosity about what he was gonna do despite the pain the cruel words caused him. He was prepared to grab him should Chaska go out into the middle of the road but instead to his surprise, Chaska flopped down on the grass near the porch, spread his arms and legs out and looked up at the sky. The Doctor walked up to Chaska.

"Go 'way, I kill myself!" Chaska said angrily.

"How?" the Doctor said to him. "How you gonna kill yourself?"

"I gonna stay here till steam engine runs over me and then you be sorry!"

The Doctor stared at him trying hard not to grin as his son stared up at the sky.

"Okay," he said, walking back to the porch and sitting down. "I'll wait with you while the steam engine comes."

He waited and watched his son who was lying on the grass, arms and legs akimbo while he stared up at the sky. While he did that, he thought to Rain, telling her what was going on while she was upstairs bathing the girls. He not only felt her laughter, but Alan's as well.

_Steam engine in your garden? This I gotta see,_ Alan thought to him. _Chris has never been that original. Course he's never threatened suicide if I gave him a bath. But, I'll be over in a jiff to observe this latest drama in your life, Brother._

He cut off contact with the Doctor and the Doctor settled back in his chair and watched his son with a bemused expression.

"Steam engine hasn't got here yet, I see," the Doctor called to him.

"You leave me 'lone. I gonna kill myself and then you be sorry."

"Okay, Son, I'll be sorry," the Doctor said, trying to keep a straight face.

He sat on the porch and watched as his son lay there waiting for the train to run him down. After five minutes, Chaska finally stood up and walked towards the steps.

"Bored waiting for the steam engine to come, Chas?" the Doctor said as he climbed the steps towards him.

"Don't you love me, Daddy?" Chaska asked as he stopped in front of him.

"I love you very much, Chas. Do you love me?"

Chaska nodded.

"How come you let me lay there if you love me?" he asked the Doctor.

"Because I was waiting for you to get bored and stop this nonsense," the Doctor said. "I figured when the steam engine didn't come that you would finally get up and come back over here."

"I don't wanna take a bath, Daddy."

"Chaska, it won't take that long, I promise. I just want to get you cleaned up and then we'll be on our way to the park, don't you want to go to the park?"

Chaska nodded and the Doctor leaned forward and rubbed his back.

"Do you still wanna kill yourself?" he asked.

"No."

"Good because that would hurt me deeply if you did that. I love you so much, Chas and I don't want you to die. Do you want to die?"

Chaska shook his head and the Doctor kissed his forehead.

"Bugger!"

The Doctor looked up and laughed when he saw Alan standing across the street with an exasperated look on his face.

"You mean I came all the way over here for nothing?" he said, walking towards him.

"Sorry, he got bored with the suicide attempt," the Doctor said as he stood up and took Chaska's hand.

"Blast, I was gonna have some fun with that whole steam engine coming through your garden thing. Now I'll have to go back home."

"Come with us, we're going to the park once Chas gets a bath. Go get Rose and Chris and come with us."

"That sounds like a de-lightful idea. I will do that. But if he tries the suicide attempt again, let me know straight away!"

"You will be the first to know, trust me."

Alan grinned at that. He walked over, gave Chaska a kiss on the forehead and whistling happily jumped down off the porch and ran off towards his house.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"On your marks….get set….go!" Alan shouted while the babies started crawling across the grass and Adam and Theta cheered David and Cameron on. Behind them were Christopher, Jackie, Donald, Zoe and Sokanon and Chaska was in last place.

"Yes, I told you he was fast!" Adam said as Theta watched David crawling closer to the finish when Cameron made a little growling sound and crawled faster. "NO!"

"Yes!" Theta said when Cameron crawled by David then over the finish line and Theta pumped his fist into the air. Picking his son up, Theta blew raspberries onto his son's tummy as Adam picked David up and held him in his arms.

"Good race, Brother," Adam said as he held his hand out and they shook hands.

"Hold on, I demand a rematch!" Alan said as he held Christopher in his arms and John and Jamie nodded.

"Aye, that wasnae fair," Jamie said as he held Zoe and Donald in his arms and his lower lip stuck out.

"Besides, all the babies weren't racing," John said when he pointed to Namid and the Doctor frowned.

"And how, Brother, is she supposed to do race when she can't see?" the Doctor asked, kissing the top of Namid's head.

"Simple, Old Man, you stand at the end of the line and…" Alan said as Adam smacked his arm and he yelped.

"That's cheating!" Adam said while Alan rubbed the dead spot on his arm.

"If you would have let me finish, I was going to say that he stands there and calls to her. The thing is, we all call to her as well and confuse her."

"Oh, sorry," Adam said, rubbing the dead spot on Alan's arm.

"That's nae fair either," Jamie said.

"No, Jamie, fair is fair. If we want to see which baby is the fastest, we need all of them to race," the Doctor said as he placed Namid on the grass and John and Theta helped him gather up Sokanon and Chaska. They lined the babies up as the babies wiggled and giggled and the Doctor smiled, patting Namid on the head. "Right, Brother, if you would do the honors."

"On your marks…get set…go!" Theta said as the babies started crawling again and they called Namid's name. The babies crawled faster and faster until Namid crawled by the other babies and won the race. Alan, Jamie, John and Adam stood there with their mouths open as the Doctor picked up Namid and held her over his head.

"The winner!" the Doctor said as Namid giggled and wiggled in his hands and he lowered her onto his shoulder and marched around in a circle.

_"You cheated, didn't you?" _Theta said as he set up a privacy block and the Doctor winked at him.

_"Well, let's say that she had a little help," _the Doctor thought and Theta smiled, picking up Cameron.

"There you are," Frankie said as she walked closer and kissed Theta's cheek.

"Oh, yuck," Adam said while Alan pretened to gag and she rolled her eyes then looked at the babies.

"And what are you loonies doing?" Frankie asked while taking Cameron from Theta and held Cameron on her right hip.

"We were having a little race to see which baby is the fastest. Cam won until we realized that Namid hadn't participated. We ran the race again and she won!" the Doctor said as he held Namid to his chest and kissed the top of her head.

"She did?"

"Yep, though we still think she cheated," Alan said.

"How could she cheat? She had no idea the others were there," the Doctor said.

"Anyway…" Theta said as he looked at Frankie and tilted his head to one side. "You were looking for me?"

"No, I was looking for him," Frankie said as she pointed to Cameron and Theta frowned.

"And why were you looking for him?"

"It's because it's time for his ninth month checkup."

"Oh, I could do that for you," Theta said with a grin.

"Um, yeah, the last time you took him, you stood behind Martha the whole time and drove her bonkers," she said and the others laughed.

"Hey, I was just making sure she did it right," Theta said when he took Cameron from Frankie and walked away. He looked at Cameron while he headed down the pavement and snorted. "Mummy doesn't know what she's talking about. Martha had no idea what she was doing."

"Oh, no, what are you doing here?" Martha asked as Theta and Cameron came into the Torchwood examination room and Theta blinked.

"I am brining my son in for his ninth month checkup," Theta said as he hitched Cameron up a bit and Cameron looked around the room.

"The last time you were here…"

"I know. I supervised the whole thing. Martha, it was his first one and I was…," Theta said then sighed and she walked closer, patting his shoulder. "You have to understand. It's been a long time since I was a father. Oh, I did adopt Jamie like Dot and Tara adopted the Doctor but it's not the same as having a son of my own again."

"You're talking about your Dex? I remember Frankie telling me that he was killed."

"Yep, he was," Theta said when he placed Cameron in her arms and they walked to the counter. Sitting Cameron on the counter, she undressed him then placed him on the scale and smiled at him.

"Whoa, someone's getting chubby!" Martha said as she tickled Cameron's tummy and he giggled. She wrote on the chart near the scale then picked him up, walking to the examination table.

"Yeah, Frankie's been putting a little cereal in the breast milk she feeds him. It's not that bad when you put some bananas in it."

"Wait, you eat baby cereal?" Martha asked when she picked up the baby thermometer and placed the tip in Cameron's ear.

"Yeah, it's good. Though it doesn't make a good hair gel," Theta said as he ran his fingers through his hair and she giggled.

"Well, that will teach you to duck the next time," Martha said when the thermometer beeped and she looked at the numbers, writing on the chart.

"Oh, believe me, I do. Have you ever been squirted in the face by baby pee? It stings!" Theta said as she laughed and examined Cameron's eyes. She gasped when Cameron reached over and pulled on her shirt and Theta rolled his eyes, taking Cameron's hand away. "Sorry, he does that. I guess any breast will do."

"Yeah, well, mine are empty," Martha teased then buttoned her shirt and Theta smiled.

"It's funny. On my Gallifrey, the babies were fed through these tubes connected to their cot and this mechanical arm used to placed the nipple end into the baby's mouth."

"That's horrific. Babies are to be held when they're fed. It helps with the bonding process."

"That's what I told my first wife but she didn't care," Theta sighed and Martha nodded. "Now, my mother was different, she breast fed me instead of doing that."

"How do you know?" Martha asked as she examined Cameron's ears and Theta smiled.

"Hey, you don't forget a thing like that," Theta said and she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You are such a pig."

"Oink," Theta snorted and Martha laughed. "Another thing we didn't have were nappies. Blimey, let me tell you this. He goes through a lot of them."

"Do I want to know how the babies peed and pooped on your Gallifrey?"

"No, you don't," Theta said, making a face and she nodded. "Anyway, that's why I like living here. It is totally different from where I came from and I have no regrets. Well, maybe one."

"You're back to your Dex again, aren't you?" Martha asked as she placed her hand on his shoulder and Theta nodded.

"I miss him," Theta sighed and she nodded.

"You could tell Cam about his older brother when he gets older. I mean you do have pictures or video of him, right?"

"Um, I did," Theta sighed and brushed the hair from his eyes.

"Oh, right, in your TARDIS," Martha said and he nodded.

"I looked through the files in Adam's TARDIS in hope that mine copied them into her but they're not there."

"You could show him your memories of your Dex by using the simulator room," Martha said as he thought for a few minutes and his eyes went wide.

"You're right!" Theta said with a smile and kissed her cheek. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to do that."

"It's ok," Martha said as she took the stethoscope from around her neck and placed the ear buds in her ears. Cameron wiggled while she listened to his lungs and heart and smiled at him. Removing the ear buds, she wrote on the chart then gently poked Cameron's stomach and he giggled. "Someone is ticklish."

"Oh yeah, I just have to wiggle my fingers and he giggles like crazy," Theta said as he watched her check Cameron's range of motion and reflexes and smiled.

"Well, he's fine. I just need to do one more thing," Martha said when she walked to the medicine cabinet and he picked Cameron up, sitting on the examination table.

"What are you doing over there?" Theta asked when Martha turned around and had a few syringes in her hands. "No, no way, no shots!"

"But he needs his nine month old shots," Martha said as she walked to the examination table and he hopped off the examination table, holding Cameron to his chest.

"But he's just a baby!"

"Frankie, you owe me big time," Martha sighed as she placed the syringes on the examination table and Theta walked to the corner, facing with his back to her. "Theta, give Cam to me."

"No, I will not allow you to stick those…those THINGS into my son's tender bottom!"

"That isn't where I do it," Martha said as he turned around and looked at her.

"Where are you going to stick him?'"

"I usually stick the needle into his legs."

"What?" Theta shouted as he looked down at Cameron's legs and Cameron kicked his legs against Theta's stomach. "Oh no, not his chubby legs, he'll be paralyzed!"

"No, he won't. Now, give him to me!" Martha said as she walked closer and he turned around. "Theta, come on."

"I am not going to let you use my child as a dartboard! Go find something else!" Theta said and she sighed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Fine, let him get sick and die! See if I care!" Martha said as he turned around and blinked.

"Wait, you don't care if he gets sick?"

"Of course I do. Look, it's only going to hurt him for a second. And his legs will hurt for a day or two, but it's worth it to prevent something bad happening to him," Martha said as he looked down at Cameron and sighed. Nodding, he handed Cameron to Martha as she carried Cameron to the examination table and Theta sank to the floor. He winced while Cameron cried after Martha gave him the shots and tears rolled down Theta's cheeks.

Frankie walked inside the kitchen when she saw the freezer door open and several small ice packs were on the floor. She walked closer when she placed the small ice packs back in the freezer and closed the freezer door. On a big piece of paper taped to the freezer door were the words NO MORE SHOTS and she smiled, taking the paper off the freezer door.

_"Darling, where are you?" _Frankie thought.

_"I'm in the nursery with Cam," _Theta thought as she walked out of the kitchen and headed up the stairs. She walked to the doorway to the nursery when she leaned against the doorframe and smiled. Theta sat on the rocking chair as he held two small ice packs on Cameron's legs and was softly singing to him.

_"That bad, eh?" _Frankie thought as he looked up and she saw the anger in his eyes.

_"Martha used his legs for pin cushions," _Theta thought as Frankie walked closer and sat on the footstool in front of the rocking chair.

"That's because the veins are bigger in his legs," Frankie whispered as she looked at their sleeping son and Theta sighed.

"That's not how we did it," Theta whispered and kissed the top of Cameron's head. "All infant medication was done orally."

"That does sound like a good idea but he can get more medication through the shots."

"He was in such pain! I don't think I'll ever forget his fear as she stuck the needles into him."

"I felt it, too, but he's not going to remember it."

"Hmph," Theta snorted as she stood up and kissed his cheek.

"He's going to be ok," Frankie said as he nodded and she walked to the door, leaving the room. Theta looked at his son when he kissed the top of his head and gently rocked him. One of the small ice packs slid off Cameron's leg as Theta felt the coldness against his leg and his eyes went wide.

"Blimey, that's cold!" Theta said when Cameron opened his eyes and looked at him. Cameron smiled at him as Theta's hearts thumped hard in his chest when he placed the small ice packs on the footstool and stood up, holding Cameron against him. "You know what we need? Ice cream! Triple scoops of banana ice cream with sprinkles! Yes, that's exactly what we need!"

Cameron giggled and kicked his legs while Theta smiled then headed for the door and closed the door behind them after they left the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"John, behave."

John sniggered as Rosie sighed and glanced at Simon. All three of them were sitting on the porch with their three year old daughter, Jackie. They had come over to the Doctor's house for supper and had let their daughter play with the Doctor's triplets. However, in the course of playing with a doll, Sokanon had gotten possessive of it and slapped Jackie in the face when she tried to take it. This led to another confrontation when the Doctor tried to get Sokanon to apologize to her cousin. To John's amusement, rather than submit to her father's wishes, Sokanon announced loudly to all that she was running away. The Doctor threw up his hands in exasperation when Rain intervened.

"Calm down, Dear. Lots of children do this whole running away scenario. I know just what to do, just play along with me," she said to him.

She walked over to Sokanon who was standing her ground with her arms folded over her chest.

"Do you still want to run away?" she asked as everyone watched.

"YES! I wanna run away and live somewhere else!" Sokanon yelled at her.

"Okay, let's get you packed so you can be on your way then," Rain said, shrugging.

The Doctor grinned when he noticed his daughter was confused by that. Putting his hands in his trouser pockets, he followed her as she followed Rain upstairs to her bedroom. Sokanon stood near Rain and the Doctor leaned against the door while Rain pulled her Dora the Explorer pink suitcase out of the closet and made a big show of packing it with a couple of her shirts and jeans.

"Now, that oughta be enough, clothes-wise, but you need Ba-ba," she said, grabbing her little pink bunny blanket off her bed. "And you need Lamb Lamb," she added grabbing her little lamb plushie.

She put them all in the suitcase and zipped it up while Sokanon watched in silence.

"Let's seeeee, ah, you need something to eat, it'll be a long journey," Rain said, pulling up the handle and walking with the wheeled suitcase out of the room.

The Doctor let Sokanon passed and followed her downstairs. Rain carried the suitcase downstairs and wheeled it into the kitchen while John and Rosie held their laughter in check. The Doctor winked at them as he passed by and the two of them got up and followed them to the kitchen door. By the time they got there, Rain was putting some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a few cookies on top of her blanket.

"There you go, that oughta get you started. Oh! Here's an apple juice box in case you get thirsty," Rain said, putting in the juice box and zipping it up. "Well, that's done. Come on, we'll see you off then."

Sokanon quietly followed her mother as she walked to the door with suitcase in hand. John scooped up his daughter and Simon picked up Namid and the Doctor carried Chaska and he and the others followed behind. They went outside and Rain went down the steps with the suitcase before she handed the handle to her daughter.

"Goodbye, Soki, good luck and I hope you find a hotel or something," Rain said, patting her on the head.

Sokanon hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then she began to walk down the pavement, pulling the suitcase behind her while everyone waved goodbye. She took five steps, stopped and thought for a moment. Then to everyone's amusement, she turned around, walked back to Rain, took her hand and started off again.

"Oh, am I part of your running away equipment?" Rain asked as the adults giggled. "Okay, bye Love, I hope I see you sometime!"

Everyone watched as Rain walked with Sokanon as she tugged her suitcase down the pavement. As they walked, the door to Jackie's house opened and Jackie came outside to water her plants. Sokanon stopped and watched her while Rain waited patiently. Jackie spied her and waved.

"Hi, sweetie, whatcha doin'?" she asked her.

Sokanon hesitated a moment and then everyone laughed when she led her mother over to the porch. Leaving the suitcase at the first step, she and Rain climbed the stairs. Jackie looked over the half wall around her porch and studied the suitcase.

"Oh, are you going somewhere, love?" she asked Sokanon as the others headed towards her house.

"She's running away from home," Rain said to her.

Jackie stared at Sokanon in shock as she settled onto her lap.

"What? Why are you running away, love?" Jackie asked Sokanon.

Sokanon shrugged. She hopped down off of Jackie's lap, went to her suitcase, opened it and grabbed the sandwiches and cookies. She walked back up to Jackie, sat in her lap and began to eat while the others laughed.

"Wait, that's your running away food," the Doctor teased. "You'll need all that to survive on those long, lonely nights on the road!"

"So I take it you've had an interesting day over at your house," Jackie said as everyone let the children down on the ground.

"Yup, never a dull moment with these kids," the Doctor said. "But I'm glad Soki changed her mind about running away."

Simon shook his head.

"Where'd these kids get these crazy notions from? I never threatened to run away from home when I was a kid."

He noticed John staring at him.

"What? I never ran away from home," he said.

"You didn't? I thought you ran away from home to be a drummer boy in the Civil War," John said.

He and Rosie laughed when Simon's cheeks flushed.

"Okay, well I did that but I wasn't three years old, Pa," he said as John shrugged and grinned.

Sokanon slid off of Jackie's lap and walked over to little Jackie. She gave her cousin a cookie and they sat down together and ate while the others joined them.

"Well, I'll accept that as an apology to little Jackie then," the Doctor said to Rain as they watched them eat.

The children continued to eat and play with one another while the adults sat on the porch and talked to Jackie until it was time for her to go inside and cook dinner.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Now you're sure you lot can handle this?" the Doctor said while he stood on the porch and John, Samuel, Tim, Linus and Wilf nodded. Standing in front of the Doctor were nine two year olds and all of them smiled up at them. The Doctor was taking Rain, Alan, Rose, Adam, Marion, John, Rosie, Jamie, Jenna, Theta and Frankie for a day on a pleasure planet and John had offered to babysit. "Well, if you say so."

"Yo, Brother, just drop 'em off and let's get going!" Alan shouted from the curb as the Doctor smiled and shook his head.

"Go on, we'll be fine," John said as the Doctor nodded and squatted.

"I want you to be good for Pa-paw, ok?" the Doctor said as the triplets looked at him and tears trickled down Sokanon's face.

"But I want to go with you," she whimpered and he kissed her forehead.

"I know you do, Soki, but Mummy and I need some alone time. Besides, you like spending time with Pa-paw, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Come on!" Alan said when he pulled on the back of the Doctor's shirt and the Doctor nearly fell down the steps.

"Hey!" the Doctor said as Alan shrugged and the Doctor stood up, looking at the kids. "Right, be good and try not to destroy anything."

"That sounds boring." Christopher said as David nodded and the Doctor sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Come on," the Doctor said as Alan waved to the kids then ran after the Doctor and John laughed.

"Ok, let's go inside," John said as the kids slowly walked inside the house and Tim looked at him with a worried look.

"Are you sure about this?" Tim asked.

"Sure, how hard can it be?" John asked as they walked inside the house the door closed behind them.

"You had to say it, didn't you?" Linus shouted while the shrill screams of nine two year olds filled the air and John looked at him, fingers in his ears.

"What?" John shouted over the noise when Wilf walked down the stairs and had an air horn in his hand. The two year olds jumped when he pushed the button and looked at him. Suddenly they all started crying at once and John sighed, looking at Wilf.

"Well, it worked with Donna," Wilf said when they walked to the two year olds and John sighed.

"No!" Chaska said while standing next to the potty chair and John knelt on the floor next to him.

"But you use one at home," John said and Chaska shook his head.

"I want my poopy seat!"

"It's the same one."

"Mine has Big Bird on it!"

"Chas, use the chair!"

"NO!" Chaska shouted and John sighed.

"Pa-paw John, I can use the big boy potty!" Christopher said when he dropped his jeans and training pants, stood on the stool then took aim at the toilet. He made a face when John heard a tingle of water and smiled at Christopher.

"What a good boy!" John said as Christopher smiled then used the toilet paper, placing it into the toilet. "Go wash your hands."

Nodding, Christopher used the stool to reach the sink and washed his hands. John watched him leave the bathroom when he turned to Chaska and sighed.

"Oh, Chas," John sighed when he saw the wet spot on Chaska's jeans and shook his head.

"Don't move!" Samuel said when he and Tim found David, Cameron and Christopher at the top of the stairs and they smiled at them.

"Watch what we can do!" David said then went on his stomach and reached for the step. He started crawling head first down the stairs with Cameron and Christopher following close behind them and they giggled. They got to the bottom step when they stood up and grinned.

"That was very good. Now, why don't you….?" Tim asked when the boys ran up the stairs and did it again. "They're going to keep this up all day, aren't they?"

"Yep," Samuel said as he nodded and they sighed, watching the boys coming down the stairs.

"Now this was a good idea!" Tim said while they walked down the path and pushed the push chairs the Doctor had left them. Tennant Park was the largest park in Kasterbourous City. A large stone fence encircled the park and the paths and landscape were kept neat and clean. The Doctor had gone to New Earth to acquire some lemon grass seeds and the trees, shrubbery and bushes all came from Earth. There were jogging trails, areas where people could bring their pets, several playgrounds and large stage areas for concerts of all kinds. Any time of day there was music playing and colorful banners dangled down from the lamp posts. The largest playground was located at the center of the park and the music from the nearly stage floated through the air. Statues of beloved characters from fairy tales dotted the landscape as the children played, ran around in the grass or sat on the animal statues and the two year olds' eyes went wide.

"I want to do that!" Jackie said as she pointed to the climbing bars but Samuel shook his head and she sighed.

"Can we go on the swings?" Zoe asked as she pointed to the swings and Tim smiled down at her.

"That we can do!" Tim said as they pushed the push chairs to the swings with the toddler swings and placed Zoe, Jackie, Namid and Sokanon on the swings. Tim stayed with the boys while John, Samuel, Linus and Wilf pushed the swings and the girls giggled.

"Boring!" Chaska said as he frowned and sank down in the seat.

"We want tae go play!" Donald said.

"I have to go potty," David said as Tim looked down at him then looked at John, waving to him.

"David has to go potty," Tim said as John nodded and told Samuel, Wilf and Linus to get the girls off the swings. The girls complained as they were placed back into the push chairs and they went to go find the bathroom.

"Why didn't you go in your pants?" Christopher asked.

"Because I'm wearing my big boy undies," David said with a shrug of his shoulders and Christopher made an O with his mouth.

"What do you mean you can't find them?" John asked as Linus looked at the ground and sighed. At the center of the park was a large lake at the center of the playground and a large variety of ducks, geese, swans and other water fowl sailed peacefully over the calm surface of the water. Several small feed dispensers stood near the edge of the lake so the guests could feed them and nesting boxes sat near the shore or in the tall reeds. Linus had taken Cameron, Zoe and Donald to see the ducks when he started chatting with one of the mothers then turned and found that the threesome were gone.

"I just turned away for a second. I thought they were still in the push chair," Linus said and John sighed.

"They couldn't have gotten far," Wilf said as they headed down the path and John prayed that the children were alright.

"But you got tae be the Doctor the last time," Donald said as they headed for the sandbox and stuck out his lower lip.

"Ok, you can be the Doctor this time." Cameron said.

"Why can't I be the Doctor?" Zoe asked and they giggled.

"Zoe, the Doctor cannae be a girl!" Donald said.

"Says who?" Zoe asked and placed her hands on her hip.

"Because the Doctor's a Time Lord and Time Lords are boys!" Cameron said.

"That's nae fair!" Zoe said while tears trickled down her face and Donald sighed. He didn't like seeing his sister cry as he smiled and gently hugged her.

"Then you can be the Doctor," Donald said as she smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "So, Doctor, where are we?"

"We are in Princess Pony's Funland!" Zoe said as Cameron glared at Donald and he shrugged.

"And what are we looking for?" Cameron asked.

"We have to find Princess Pony's hairbrush!" Zoe said and Cameron rolled his eyes.

"Of course we do!"

"Come on!" Zoe said as she headed for the sandbox when they saw a large sandcastle and Donald smiled, nudging Zoe.

"Look at the size of that thing, Doctor," Donald said.

"Yes, Jamie, it is a big one, isn't it?" Zoe said, doing a perfect impression of Theta in his second life and they giggled.

"Excuse me, but are you Zoe, Donald and Cameron?" a park security guard asked as they looked at her and she smiled at them.

"Uh," Cameron said as Donald placed Zoe behind him and the security guard sighed.

"Look, it's ok, I won't hurt you," security guard said and Donald glared at her.

"Cameron, Zoe, Donald, it's ok," John said as they looked at him and the security guard held her hand out. Cameron took one hand while Donald held onto Zoe's hand and they walked to John. They looked at him while he thanked the security guard and she nodded, walking down the path. He pointed to the push chair as they walked toward the others and John placed them in the push chair, heading down the path.

(Hours later)

"Well, that was a nice day!" Alan said as he stretched and Rose tickled his stomach. "Hey!"

"Sorry, couldn't resist!" Rose said as they headed for John's house then stopped and the Doctor smiled.

"Well, it's still standing," the Doctor said as they walked up the steps and the Doctor knocked on the door. They waited when the door opened and Rose was surprised to see Jackie.

"Mum, what are you doing here?" Rose asked when the kids appeared behind Jackie and they smiled at them. "Let me guess, they called for backup?"

"Yep," Jackie said as she looked back at John, Samuel, Tim, Linus and Wilf standing in the living room and the Doctor sighed, looking in at John.

"We are so sorry," the Doctor said when John walked to the door and leaned on the doorframe.

"Star Child, I love my grandchildren, I really do, but I will NEVER do this again!" John said and the Doctor laughed.

After saying goodbye, they led the children down the sidewalk while Zoe frowned and Jenna looked at her.

"What's the matter, Honey?" Jenna asked.

"I think we forgot something," Zoe said then looked at Cameron. "Cammy, remember when we found Pa-paw Wilf's toolbox?"

"Hold it, you found Wilf's toolbox?"

"Yeah, and we got bored," Cameron said and Theta's eyes went wide.

"What did you take apart?" Theta asked with a sigh. Cameron had been taking things apart for the last few months and had promised not to while staying with John.

"I don't remember," Cameron said when they heard a scream and stopped turning around.

"_Dad, are you ok?" _Rain thought as she felt his anger and looked at the house.

"_No, one of the little "darlings" took apart our toaster, vcr and the phones!" _John thought as Adam and Alan smiled then winced when Marion and Rose whacked them in the back of the head.

"_Actually it was two of them. Hang on, we're coming," _the Doctor said as he glared at Zoe and Cameron then sighed, holding his hands out.

"You broke it, you fix it," the Doctor said as they took his hands and they headed down the sidewalk.

"Um, Daddy, since we didn't break anything, can we have ice cream?" Christopher asked while looked up at Alan and Alan looked at the others.

"Uh, no, I don't think so," Alan said as the kids sighed and they walked down the pavement, heading for home.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

When my husband and I were raising our children, we decided that we needed to set aside time for each of them and do individual things with them in order to make them feel special and so they wouldn't be jealous of their siblings if they felt that we were spending too much time on one of them. That's carried over now to the triplets and the other members of our family that have young ones are following our lead and giving their children special time to be alone with their mom and dad for an evening. This evening just happens to be one of our special time evenings. Because we have three children, Alan or one of the others usually takes the third while he and Rose alternate between taking Chris out for his special time evening. Tonight, I'm going with Jack and Ianto and taking Chaska to the beach. The Doctor's taking Sokanon out to dinner and Alan is taking Namid to some kind of funhouse wind tunnel thing where you can float in the air and Rose is taking Christopher out to play putt putt golf while John is taking Jackie to the movies.

The Doctor looked into the children's bedroom and smiled at Sokanon and Namid who were busy dressing for the evening.

"Are we almost finished so we can go on our special time trip?" he asked Sokanon.

"Yes, I'm coming, Daddy," his four year old daughter said as she put on a pink t-shirt.

The Doctor felt a tug on his trouser leg and looked down at Namid.

"I wanna come with you," she said mournfully.

"You can't tonight, Rainbow. You're going someplace fun with Uncle Alan. We just took our special time trip a few days ago. Remember, when I took you to the circus?"

"Yes, but I wanna go again."

"No, it's my turn with Daddy," Sokanon said.

"You shut up! I wanna go again!" Namid yelled.

"Oi, don't tell your sister to shut up," the Doctor said sternly. "Uncle Alan is taking you to this float around the room thing and you'll have fun with him, you always do. We'll go again on another special time trip but this is Soki's night with me, okay?"

"Okay," Namid muttered as the Doctor rubbed the back of her hair and sent love into her mind.

"So are we ready now?" the Doctor said when everyone finished dressing.

Alan and Rose had come over and Rose was holding Christopher's hand while Alan held Namid's hand.

"Ready and willing, Mon Capitan," Alan said, saluting.

"Better make this a memoriable evening, Mi-mi didn't wanna come with you," the Doctor said to him.

Alan's mouth dropped open and he picked up Namid.

"What? After all the fun things I have planned you'd rather go with Mister Fuddy Duddy there?" he said as Namid giggled. "Well...we'll soon see who you have more fun with, me or him!"

"Just bring my child back in one piece," the Doctor teased.

"I can't bring her back in two pieces?" Alan said shocked as Namid giggled. "Blast, I was gonna strap her to a table, slice her up with a laser and see if both halves regenerated. Spoil sport!"

They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. The Doctor led Sokanon to the TARDIS that was parked in the garage.

"I have something for you, my treasure. I want you to wear it tonight because the planet I'm taking you to is very cold," he said as he unlocked the door.

"Are we gonna make snowmen, Daddy?"

"Nah, something more fun that that, Soki. Step inside, Madam!"

Sokanon giggled as he held the door open and bowed to her. She stuck her chin up and marched inside while the Doctor giggled at that. He closed the door behind them with a bang and stared at his daughter with wide eyes.

"We're inside the TARDIS, no escape now," he said ominously.

"Ooo, are we gonna die?" Sokanon said in a hushed voice.

"Do you wanna die?"

"No."

"Okay, we won't then," the Doctor said airly, stepping away from the door as his daughter giggled and followed him.

There was a large gift box on the jump seat. The Doctor grabbed it and gave it to Sokanon.

"Wear this tonight for me," he said to her.

Sokanon set the box down on the grating and opened it. She oooed when she reached in and pulled out a black velvet coat trimmed with white fir and a hood that was also trimmed with white fir.

"This will keep you toasty warm tonight, Soki," the Doctor said, helping her put it on.

Once it was on, Sokanon looked into the box and pulled out a pair of matching black boots. She frowned when she looked again and noticed there was a furry thing that looked like a white log.

"What's that, Daddy?" she said as the Doctor helped her get her boots on.

"That's a muff. Women used to wear them back in the old days to keep their hands warm. I thought you might look cute with a muff so I got it for you."

Attached to the muff on either side was a white cord that enabled him to put it around her neck. He put it on her and instructed her to put her hands into the holes on the sides. Once she did that, he stepped back and looked at her.

"Ah, brilliant. You look like you just stepped out of a Currier and Ives painting."

"What's that, Daddy?"

"Currier and Ives painted Victorian scenes with women who were dressed a lot like you are. You're just sooo cute with your little muff muff, my Victorian treasure. And now that you're dressed, it's off to Fornsquare for a night of fun!"

"Now!" Alan said as he and Namid stepped out of Daisy in front of Bill's Anti-Gravity Fun Room in London in the year 2378. "We are going to have heaps of fun and no complaints that I'm not your father and you'd rather be with him. Because you and I are going to get into special suits and go wheeee around a weighless room. Okey-dokey?"

"Yes!"

"That's the spirit, little trooper, now Allons-y, as your daddy would say or as I would say, get your fat bum in there!"

Namid giggled and Alan took her hand as they went inside. The first thing they saw was the receptionist who was standing behind an open window at the back of the room. Alan strolled up to her.

"May I help you?"

"Yes, one adult and one child," Alan said.

"That'll be ten credits."

Alan gave her his credit stick and she scanned it.

"Okay," she said, giving it back to him. "We need to get you into your anti-gravity suits so come with me and we'll get you started."

She hit a buzzer and a door slid open a few feet beside the window. Alan squeezed his daughter's hand and they went inside.

"Ah, Aruba," Jack said as he emerged from his TARDIS. "Love the beach and it's a beautiful day as well."

He took the beach umbrella Ianto handed him and everyone else stepped outside carrying the equipment they would need for a day at the beach. Jack had parked his TARDIS several feet from the ocean and the TARDIS disguised itself as a red and white changing tent. They walked down onto the beach and selected a spot twenty feet from the rolling surf. They put down beach towels and set up the beach umbrellas to shade them. Then Rain sat a picnic lunch down on her beach towel along with a tote bag. She called to Chaska and pulled out some sunscreen while Jack and Ianto got out the same thing from their totes.

"So, anyone up for a swim?" Jack asked them.

"Me!" Chaska squealed as he stood up.

"Just a moment, Baby, let me finish with your sunscreen and then you can go and play," Rain said, holding his arm while she rubbed the sunscreen on him.

"What about you, Rain. Wanna go play in the surf?" Jack asked.

"I will. Just need to make sure everything's ready when we finally eat before I do," she said.

"Yan?" Jack said to his husband.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

Ianto rolled his eyes while Rain chuckled.

"I s'pose I'll go for a swim then," Ianto said dryly.

"That's the spirit!" he said, giving him a playful punch in the arm. "Now, hurry up and get that suntan lotion on ya so we can splash around and play!"

"So, you wanna go first or do you want me to?" Rose said to Christopher when they came up to the first hole in the putt putt course.

"You go, Mummy. I wanna watch so I can figure out how to beat you," Christopher said.

"Oho, you think you're gonna beat me, eh?" Rose teased.

"Yes! I gonna beat you reeeal gooood!" Christopher said.

Rose smiled at her son.

"You know, you're looking more and more like your daddy every day. Unfortunately, you're beginning to act like him as well," she said.

"Less talk and more golf. Gotta drop some trouser chili, woman!"

Rose rolled her eyes as Christopher giggled and ducked behind her body.

"You want a smack bottom, Mister Cheeky?" she teased as he peeked out from behind her legs.

"No! Now you play golf 'fore I tickle ya!"

"Not if I tickle you first!" Rose said, her fingers wiggling as Christopher squealed and ran away from her.

Christopher walked back to her side and stood and watched quietly while Rose put her golf ball down on the astroturf and prepared to putt it.

"Soooo..." John said to Jackie as they climbed into his TARDIS. "What film are we gonna see?"

"Horror movie?" Jackie said.

"Uh...no, not at your age. Pick again."

"Disney."

"That's more like it! Which one?"

"All of em!"

She giggled as John raised his eyebrow.

"All of em? Every single Disney film ever made?" he said, feigning disbelief.

"Yup, every one of em! All the Disney films there are!" Jackie said, spreading her arms wide.

"Blimey, we're gonna have to get busy then, aren't we?" he said as he started up his TARDIS.

He smiled when Jackie came up beside him, put her hands on the rim and watched what he was doing.

"Can I fly it?" she asked him.

"Someday, my beloved, someday when you're old enough and you have your Time Lady mind," he said, smiling lovingly at her. "And if we're not still watching every Disney film ever made by that time you can fly it."

Jackie giggled and nuzzled up against him. He patted her back and rubbed it as he input the coordinates into his computer.

"Here we are," the Doctor said as he stepped out of the TARDIS with his daughter. "This is Chene, the capital of Fornsquare and the destination for tonight's delights."

"Ooo, it's snowing!" Sokanon said, pointing to the falling snow as the Doctor closed the TARDIS door.

"Yup, that's why I wanted you toasty warm, my treasure. Now follow me and I'll take you to the restaurant I have in mind. One of the best in the Follum Galaxy."

"Where's that?" Sokanon said as she walked beside him.

"That is where the planet Fornsquare is located, Muffy."

"Don't call me Muffy, I'm Sokanon."

"Not for tonight. Tonight, you are Muffy McMuff," he said while Sokanon giggled.  
He heard a clip clop behind him and turned to see a white horse pulling a white carriage down the road. He stopped Sokanon and waved his hand to signal the driver to stop.

"How much for a ride?" he asked.

"Twenty credits, mate," the driver replied.

"Wanna take a horse and carriage ride, Soki?" the Doctor asked her.

"Yes!"

The Doctor handed the driver his credit stick and he scanned it before handing it back to him.

"After you, Madam," the Doctor said, lifting her into the open carriage.

Soki went and sat down on the red leather seat while the Doctor climbed in. Once they were seated the driver looked for oncoming traffic and then started off again.

After donning jet black lycra body suits, Alan and Namid were led into a wide room with quilted leather padding on every side. The door shut and then a moment later, an anti-gravity device was turned on and both Alan and Namid laughed when they began to float.

"Wheee!" Namid said as she slowly floated up to the padded ceiling.

Alan laughed and grabbed her, gently pushing her back down as he manuvered his body over hers. Namid laughed and floated up, lightly bumping into him.

"Oi, go away," Alan said, gently pushing her as he slowly floated up towards the ceiling.

Namid laughed as she went down and then slowly came back up again until she hit Alan's chest.

"I said, go away," Alan said, giving her another light push.

He let out a sigh of exasperation when Namid came back up and clung to him.

"I am not a koala bear, Meemer-deemer!" he said as she laughed.

He held onto her tightly, rolled over and kicked off the ceiling with his foot. Namid laughed when he bumped the padded floor and began to go up slowly again.

"Having fun, Namid?" he asked her.

"YES!" Namid squealed.

"Now see, I can be just as fun as your dad!" he said to her.

He let go of her and both of them floated around the room, pushing off the walls while they laughed and teased each other.

(To be continued...)


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

_Beep…Recording…_

"Right, where do I start?" Frazer asked as he looked into the video camera and settled on the couch. "I guess I should introduce myself. I'm your daddy an' I'm filming this tae show you what life was like before you were born. You might notice that I sound a bit funny but that's because I come from a country called Scotland."

Frazer held up a piece of cardboard with a map of the United Kingdom on it and his finger pointed to Scotland.

"Now, I was born here, in Inverness, and am the youngest of six children," he said when he shuffled the cardboard cards on his lap and held up a picture of his brothers and sisters. "These are your Uncles Angus, Robert, Ian, Conner and Donald an' these are your aunts, Victoria an' Zoe. Your Uncle Donald an' Aunt Zoe werenae born until much later but I'll explain aboot that when you're older"

He shuffled the cards again when he held up a picture of Jenna and Jamie then looked at it and smiled.

"This is your Pa-paw James or Jamie an' your Nan Jenna. Yeah, I ken that they looked old enough tae be your mum an' dad but, like I said, I'll explain why they look like that when you're older."

He shuffled the cardboard cards again when he held up a picture of Alan and Rose and smiled.

"This is your Pa-paw Alan an' your Nan Rose. Dinnae let that innocent face fool you. Your pa-paw is a certifiable loony but he is also the bravest man I have the pleasure of knowing. Your Nan Rose is also the bravest woman in the whole known universe. I mean she is one tough woman. No one messes with her."

He shuffled some of the cardboard cards again then he frowned and looked on the floor. Sighing, he reached down for the cardboard card that fell on the floor and held it up.

"This is your Aunt Elizabeth an' that bloke next to her is James. It's weird. Those two were such good friends that I'm amazed that one or the other hasnae asked the other tae marry them."

He shuffled the cardboard cards again and looked at the picture on it.

"This is your great-grandparents, Jackie an' Pete an' that's your Uncle Tony. I figured out that Nan Rose gets her courage an' guts from Nan Jackie. Why? Well, no one ticks off Nan Jackie an' gets away with it. I've seen Pa-paw Alan shirk away from her when she's mad," he said with a grin and wiggled the cardboard card side to side. He looked at the next cardboard card when he blinked then showed it to the camera. "Now, dinnae asked me tae name everyone on this card but this is the rest of the family. Aye, you have a big family, that's for sure."

He looked at the last cardboard card when he smiled and held up the cardboard card.

"Now, this is your mother. Her name is Angel an' she is that an' a whole lot more. Ok, I might be bending it a bit but she is tae me," he said then sat the cardboard cards on the table and stood up. He picked up the camera while the camera showed the living room and he headed for the kitchen. Standing near the kitchen island was Angel and she looked at him with a confused look on her face.

"What are you doing?" she asked when he walked closer then took her hand, moved her out from behind the kitchen island and did a close up on her swollen stomach.

"And that is you," he said then turned the camera to face Angel and Angel smiled, shaking her head.

"You are a goof," she said when she slid her arms around his waist and kissed him. Placing the camera on the counter, he held her head in his hands while they kissed when he realized that he left the camera on and moved back, looking at it.

"Uh, sorry, but this is nae for your eyes," he said when he pushed the button and Angel laughed. Shrugging, he took her head in his hands while they kissed then smiled, placing his forehead against hers.

_Beep…Recording…_

"Right, as you can see, this is your room," Frazer said as he turned the camera around and panned the walls. The walls were a blue color with little teddy bear stickers dressed in white shirts, black waistcoats, kilts with black leather belts and sporrans, white socks and black shoes and one or two teddy bears were playing the bagpipes. A changing table was in front of him with a nappy holder next to it and the shelves had nappies and baby products on them. On the back of the door was a white net filled with plush animals and the wardrobe was to the left of the door. A white dresser was under the window and a rocking chair and footstool was in the corner to the left of the window. The white wicker laundry basket sat in the corner and the pieces of a crib sat on the floor. "Now, today, with a little help from Pa-paw Alan an' Uncle Adam, I am going tae attempt tae put your cot together."

_Beep…Recording…_

"Och, putting a cot together is nae as easy as it looks. We couldnae find three screws, two of the pieces were broken an' Pa-paw Alan sliced his finger open when he was trying tae get the box open. I never heard such crying in my life. What a big bairn!" Frazer said with a grin then turned the camera around and showed the white crib sitting against the wall. "Lucky for us, your mum called the store an' they came an' set it up for us."

He walked closer when he panned the crib and rubbed his thumb along the carvings on the crib. The carvings were rune symbols and he sighed, turning the camera off.

"Hey," Angel said while she walked into the room and he placed the camera on the floor. "It looks really good."

"Aye," he said as he nodded his head and she rubbed her hand along his back.

"Um, what are these?" she asked as she pointed to the carvings and he sighed.

"They're rune symbols."

"Oh, Frazer, you didn't?"

"I had tae do it, Pebbles. I had tae make sure that…" he said as she held her arms out and held him. She did know that Frazer could see what most would think as magical or a myth and having a fey for a godmother didn't sit well with him. When they were kids, they both thought it was funny but they had learned over the years that it wasn't. Neither of them talked about the number of times his godmother tried to take him from Jamie and Jenna and Angel knew that he was worried that she might try to take their child in his place. He had carved rune symbols over every doorway, window, vent and mirror and there were also runes carved around and at the bottom of the pool. "How's Alan?"

"Oh, Mister Big Baby is ok once Mum used the tissue regenerator," she said as he softly laughed and she kissed his lips. Holding her close, they left the room after he picked up the camera and closed the door behind them.

_Beep…Recording…_

"Ok, this is Martha an' she is the doctor that's taking care of Mummy while you're inside her," Frazer said as he pointed the camera at her and Martha smiled, rolling her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she tried to push the camera away and he gently swatted at her hand.

"I am making a record of what happened before the baby was born."

"Is he serious?" she asked as she looked at Angel and he swung the camera around to show Angel lying on the examination table.

"Yes, he is. I had to stop him from filming me taking a bath last night," Angel sighed then smiled and waved at the camera.

"Can I help it that your tummy looked like a pink island floating in a sea of bubbles?" he asked as Martha laughed and walked to the examination table. She placed on a pair of rubber gloves when she moved the ultrasound monitor toward the examination table and he walked to the table, standing on the other side of it. "So, what are you going tae do tae Angel today?"

"I am going to check on the baby's development," Martha said and the camera bobbed up and down. She moved Angel's shirt up when the camera zoomed in on Angel's stomach and his finger poked her stomach.

"Hm, I dinnae think it's ready yet," he said then turned the camera on Angel and she glared at him. "Uh, I think I should stop joking around before I get this camera shoved up my nose."

"You got that right." Angel growled as he turned the camera to Martha and Martha picked up a white tube and squirted a clear gel onto Angel's stomach. "Blimey, that's cold!"

"Sorry about that," Martha said when she picked up the ultrasound scanner and placed it on Angel's stomach then turned the ultrasound monitor on. The camera zoomed on the screen while a blurry image appeared on the screen and Frazer hummed.

"Where is it?" he asked when Martha moved the ultrasound scanner and a fuzzy image appeared on the screen. She pushed the buttons on the ultrasound scanner when the image became clearer and she smiled. "Ah, there you are!"

"Now, this is the head," Martha said as she pointed and the camera zoomed in.

"Nae tae sound stupid, but that little black dot is the eye, aye?" Frazer asked.

"Yep, and there is the nose, mouth, ear and this little movement is the heart," she said as the camera zoomed in on the tiny pulsating heart and Frazer sighed. "Here is one arm and there is the other one."

"Aw, you're sucking your thumb!" Frazer said when the camera moved up and the baby was sucking its thumb.

"And this long tube is the umbilical cord," Martha said as she pointed to it and the camera bobbed up and down. "Now, here's one leg and here's the other leg."

"And there is the other leg? Cor, our baby has three legs!" Frazer said as the camera swung toward Angel and she smiled, shaking her head. "What are we going tae do with a baby that has three legs?"

"That isn't a leg, Genius!" Angel said and the camera swung back to the screen.

"If it's nae a leg then…" Frazer said when he turned the camera to face him and his mouth dropped open while his eyes went wide.

"I guess we're having a boy then?" Angel asked while the camera turned toward her then to Martha and Martha laughed.

"Yep," Martha said and Frazer cheered.

"Knock it off!" Angel said when the camera turned toward Frazer and he frowned.

"Mummy is a meanie!" he said then turned the camera toward Angel and she sighed.

"Well, everything looks good," Martha said as she turned the ultrasound monitor off and cleaned Angel's stomach off, moving Angel's shirt down. "I'll see you next week."

"And I promise that I'll keep Mister Camera Man at home," Angel said as the camera turned to her and Frazer gasped. "Oh, cut the dramatics and turned that off."

Frazer pushed the button while he smiled and placed the camera on the floor. He helped Angel off the examination table when he picked the camera off the floor and smiled as they left the room.

_Beep…Recording…_

"Right, here we are in the delivery room," Frazer said as he looked into the camera and was wearing surgical scrubs. The camera turned as Rose and Jenna waved at the camera and both of them were wearing surgical scrubs as well. "Here is Nan Rose and Nan Jenna. Hello!"

"Hello!" they said at the same time when the camera turned and pointed toward Jamie, who was sitting on the chair. He was also wearing surgical scrubs and he was placing the surgical slippers over his shoes.

"Hey, Dad, how does it feel becoming a grandfather?" he asked and Jamie looked at him.

"It feels great but I wouldnae ask Alan that question," Jamie teased as they heard sobbing coming from the bathroom and the camera pointed toward the door.

"I am not ready to be a grandfather!" Alan's voice sobbed from behind the door and Rose sighed, walking to the bathroom door and opened it.

"Get out here!" she said as she half dragged Alan out of the bathroom and he was also wearing surgical scrubs.

"Dad, is this really how you want your grandson tae see you?" Frazer asked when Alan looked at him and coughed, straightened up and wiped his eyes.

"Heh, I was just fooling around," Alan said as the camera bounced up and down and he wiggled his fingers in his ears while crossing his eyes. The camera turned toward the bed as Frazer walked closer and Angel was lying under the sheets with her legs in the stirrups. She was wearing a white hospital gown with little polka dots on it and she glared at him while he zoomed in on her face.

"Hello, Mummy," Frazer said as she growled at him and the camera zoomed down to her stomach and the fetal heart monitor that was strapped to it. The camera moved up when the door opened and Martha walked into the room. "Well, are we ready tae deliver the baby?"

"Let me have a look," Martha said when she sat on the stool that was sitting near the foot of the bed and Frazer yelped as Angel grabbed his wrist.

"If you value your tackle, you are NOT going there!" she said as the camera turned to her and the camera bobbed up and down. Martha sat down on the stool when she looked under the sheet then looked at them and smiled.

"She's ready," Martha said and the camera beeped as Frazer turned the camera off.

_Beep…Recording…_

"Frazer, turn that thing off!" Angel shouted as the camera zoomed in on her face and shook side to side.

"Come on, Love, he has to see this," he said when the camera moved and was pointed over Martha's shoulder. Angel screamed as the camera moved up then zoomed in on her face and she glared at him.

"Ok, Angel, the baby's shoulders are out," Martha said as the camera moved down and showed the baby in her hands. The camera started shaking and Angel calling Frazer's name was the last thing the camera recorded as Frazer and the camera hit the floor.

_Beep…Recording._

'Well, that was embarrassing," Frazer sighed as he sat on the bed and brushed the hair from his eyes. "I remember teasing your Pa-paw Jamie when he fainted after your Aunt Zoe an' Uncle Donald were born an' here I am doing the same thing. He told me the reason he fainted was because he forgot tae breath. Me? I fainted because it was gross."

Reaching for the camera, he walked to the bassinette then did a close up of a small baby sleeping under a blue blanket and his finger moved over the rune that were carved into the wood.

"Well, there you are. We decided to call you Alexander James Frazer McCrimmon but we'll call you "Xandy" for short," he said then turned the camera around and smiled. "So, that's it. If I had one piece of advice tae give you, it's this. Be the best you can be an' know that I love you with all my hearts!"

"Again," Alexander said as he sat on Frazer's lap and he looked down at his two year old son.

"But we watched it five times," Frazer moaned and Alexander batted his eyelashes at him.

"P'ease?" he asked and Frazer sighed.

"We'll watch it later. Now it's time for bath and bed," Angel said when she walked to the couch and lifted Alexander off Frazer's lap.

"No bath!"

"Nae even if Mummy uses bubbles? I would love tae take a bath with mounds an' mounds of bubbles!" Frazer said and Alexander looked at Angel.

"Aye, I want bubbles!" he said and Angel smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Ok, you can have bubbles," she said as they headed for the stairs and Frazer watched them going up the stairs. He turned the dvd player off when he walked to the holo-television and moved his finger over the runes around it, sighing. Martha was stunned when he insisted that they took Alexander home the moment he was born but she didn't see the hobgoblins peering in the window of the delivery room and he sighed, looking at his reflection in the glass. He knew that his biological father didn't know there was a price to pay for making friends with the fey but Frazer did and he blinked, placing his forehead against the glass. "Hey, are you coming?"

"Aye," he said when he smiled then ran to the stairs and went upstairs.

A/N: To know Frazer's full story, read You Take The High Road.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

It's strange how things work out. Amato and I were born in another universe and we thought that the other had died during the Time War that destroyed our Gallifrey. When I look at Alan and Adam, I see us as we were when we were just starting out at the academy. To be honest, I was Adam and Amato, or Theta as I used to call him, was Alan. Without him in my life, I know I would never have gotten married, let alone have any children. When I got married, Amato was my best man, or what passed for one, and was there when my first child was loomed. In all, my wife and I loomed four children, three sons and a daughter. It's odd that the only one I remember is Vinara. She was the youngest of my children and I can remember the first time I held her in my arms.

"She is so beautiful," I whispered as she wiggled in my arms, like she was trying to find a snuggle spot, and fell asleep shortly thereafter. Normally Time Babies weren't held or cuddled but I couldn't put Vinara down. The doctors told me she would never develop normally if I didn't put her down but she didn't seem to mind. Neither did I, if truth be told. There were many a night that my wife would find me rocking our daughter to sleep then fall asleep myself and she would just wake me up so we could put Vinara to bed. My wife also told me that Vinara had a look in her eyes that she had only seen in mine.

"What are you talking about?" I asked my wife.

"She's a time junkie, just like you," she told me and she was right. Vinara soon joined me for trips in my TARDIS and held her own in dangerous situations. When I look at Sokanon and Namid, I see my daughter. They are just like her in so many ways that I'm sure they can handle anything that comes their way during their travels with the Doctor. In fact, the silly banter he does with them is exactly what I would do with Vinara.

"I will not have my daughter turn into a rebel!" my wife shouted at me more than once but the two of us would just smile, nod then run off and head off in my TARDIS to who knows where or when.

When the Time War broke out, Vinara told me she wanted to work on one of the medical ships. She was a fully trained medic and had stitched a few of the wounds that I had received in battle. She would always wrap the wounds in pink plasters, or purple if she was in a mood, and we'd laugh. My sweet little girl was turning into quite the doctor.

"I thought the Doctor was Uncle Theta," she teased me once and I shrugged.

"Where is it written that there can't be more than one?" I asked and she just rolled her eyes at me like I was the biggest idiot in the universe.

It was during one fierce battle that I got word that the daleks had attacked the medical fleet and all of the ships had been destroyed. I thought my hearts were being ripped out of my chest when I heard her screaming then felt her mind blank out.

My sweet little girl was gone.

I thought I would soon join her when the Rani got hold of me and started experimenting on me then used me as her killing machine. The only one that has knows what I have done is Amato and he assured me that he would never tell anyone.

What I didn't expect was getting a new family after they rescued me from the Rani. It was great to be reunited with Amato but falling in love with the most amazing woman I have ever met and becoming attached to an Amos orphan was something entirely different.

Julie is wonderful and is a great mother. I love the way she smiles at me and her nose crinkles when she laughs.

But what I want to talk about is Aderyn.

The first time she was placed in my arms, I felt my hearts melting. She did the same wiggle that Vinara did until she found the right snuggle spot and looked at me with those big grayish blue eyes. Now, most people say their babies are cute but Aderyn is adorable. She has these light gray feathers that are more like chick fuzz then feathers at this point and the cutest beak I have ever seen.

Sorry, but that is how I feel. If you don't like it….Tough! She is a cutie!

She had the hiccups and I was shocked that they didn't know what to do. It's a simple recipe of two parts water and one part sugar in a bottle then pat her back until she burped.

According to the Doctor, she won't be talking for another three or four months and her wings will start growing in at that time.

Rassilon, the thought of her flying around the room scares me. I had a pet bird once but it died after colliding with the window. Julie assures me that Aderyn will be fine but I'm still worried.

He also told me that Amos have brown, black, yellow or white feathers when they are full grown and I think Aderyn would look amazing in all white feathers. He did tell me that he will give her something when her wings start growing in so she won't be in any pain.

"It'll be like the stuff humans use when their babies start getting their baby teeth. Only she won't be doing all that drooling," he told me and smiled.

Should I have told Julie about the worm? See, when we made a rest stop, I had taken Aderyn for a walk then sat on the ground so we could watch the sunset. She was looking at something on the ground when I picked up a worm and showed it to her. It happened so fast when she snapped her beak around it and downed the worm in three bites.

"Let's not tell Mummy about that, eh, Little Peep?" I told her and she blinked.

"Cheepa!" she said with a nod and I hugged her.

Now, one of the things I love about being a part of this large, dysfunctional family is its silliness. I have never read the classical version of A Christmas Carol but I don't think I could after the play Alan, Adam and John performed but Aderyn liked it. It was when she had fallen asleep and cried after we took her out the room that I said "Daddy" for the first time.

That was what I was now.

I was her daddy and no one was going to tell me that I wasn't.

She even gets upset when I do.

Just like Vinara did.

_Blimey, she would have loved Aderyn. Oi, there's a thought, the two of them together and plotting who knows what._

Oh, I need to tell you that nappies are nasty. We did use them on Gallifrey but they never smelt as bad as the nappies Aderyn wore. I mean she drinks milk but it smells like we gave her something putrid. Julie teased me when I slid to the floor and sat against the cabinet. Sorry, but it stunk!

What I didn't like was when the Doctor used an imager so Aderyn looked like a human baby instead of an Amos baby. When are the humans going to realize there are more life forms out there besides their own? She isn't some sort of monster. She is a cute cuddly baby. Then again, the image we're using is just as cute.

I did learn to duck when giving a baby a bath. I swear that Aderyn is part duck! She loves the water and she is my little tweety pie! Yes, Julie hates it when I call Aderyn that but she is! It was also during that bath that I realized that I had my own little family.

Julie and me and Aderyn makes three!

My mind was in a whirl with the idea of making it a permanent thing and I hope to Rassilon that I can someday.

I do think that Aderyn's adopted Tim as her grandfather because she didn't mind him holding her and even peed on him. Ok, that wasn't a good thing but it was funny. She did fall asleep in Tim's arms and they looked so cute. I wasn't sure her seeing Amato and I bantering back and forth was a good idea but she was giggling so I guess she thought Daddy was a silly sod.

I do know she likes stories about Gallifrey but I'm not sure what would happen if she ever saw the Rani. Oh, I'm sure she'd be fine. It's the Rani that I'm afraid would get the snot kicked out of her.

I also know that whatever I feel for Julie is growing stronger and stronger. We seem to click when we're taking care of Aderyn and I love when Julie stands close to me.

Then I discovered that the Rani had done something to me besides turning me into a killing machine. I can produce electricity from my fingers and can leap into the air. I was so scared the first time it happened and it was Cameron that helped me down. I thought none of my new family would want anything to do with me, not even after I told the truth about what I did, but they did and I still have my Julie and my Little Peep.

Speaking of Cameron, I'm not sure if I like the idea of him in Aderyn's life. He is a nice kid but if he EVER floats her in the air without someone around to catch her, I will hit him so hard that he'll regernate. He told me he was just letting her get used to flying but she could have gotten hurt if he lost his concentration.

Alright, I will admit this. Julie and I have had sex. We're careful not to let Aderyn see us and I love snuggling with Julie. She just seems to fit into the curves of my body and that was something my mother told me when it came to picking a lives mate. If there is a Heaven, please let it be true.

Aderyn does like peek-a-boo, I know that for a fact. The problem is she likes to play it over and over again. It's not a problem but one does get bored after the hundredth time.

This is going off topic but Duer and I seem to click just like I do with Amato. Maybe it's because he is Amato but from another universe. His Koschei turned out to be this evil git called the Master and was totally insane. This would also explain why Adam and Cameron didn't like me at first.

What surprised me was that Duer wanted to play a prank on the others and I had to wait until Aderyn had filled several nappies before we snuck into the caravans and left our little "presents". In the morning, they woke up and found that our little "presents" had ripened and we got locked in a closet and the bathroom as punishment. Even Aderyn was mad at me. The funny bit was Alan and Adam coming into the caravan and removing all the nappies until we swore to never do it again.

Speaking of Alan, why do I have a feeling he was dropped on his head at some point? He is totally bonkers and Adam and John fall in line whenever he decides to do something loony. Like pretending to be minstrels while Julie and I were out for a walk. By the way, that was when I flew into the air and Cameron helped me down.

Oh, lying in bed with Julie and Aderyn is the sweetest thing. We just lie there and talk while Aderyn snuggles against my chest or lies between us with such love in her eyes. I feel like it's just us when we're alone like that and swear that I would sooner die then let anything happen to them.

Bath time has become a ritual with us and it's when I get drenched. Don't get me wrong. I like taking a bath but it's more fun when a little one giggles after soaking their mommy and daddy that makes my hearts soar.

Rassilon, Julie asked me to move in with her and Aderyn! She wants us to be a family! Then my stupid power kicked in. Why can't I control it? I don't want it to ruin my chance at true happiness but I'm not sure what to do.

Ah, snow. It is pretty but it's not a nice thing when it hit Aderyn in the face. True, Christopher and David didn't mean to hit her with it but she didn't like it. Neither did I. What they didn't know was Julie and I took her out later and made a tiny snowman. I wonder if it's still in the caravan's freezer.

I now lay here in the Torchwood med bay as I think about what has happened after taking a walk with Dory and getting captured by a maniac that thought I was the Master of this world. The whole time I was their hostage, the only thing that kept me sane was getting back to Julie and Aderyn. No matter what they did, I kept my sweet Julie and Little Peep in my head and hearts and swore that I would find a way to get back to them. Even after getting shot in the heart didn't stop me. I wasn't going to regenerate. No, I wasn't even though I should have. My little girl needed the daddy she first laid eyes on and I wasn't going to disappoint her. Julie, my wonderful bride to be, brought her in to see me after surgery and I know Martha is going to be mad. I don't care. Hold my little girl makes me feel one hundred percent better and I am glad that she picked me to be her daddy.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

The lift doors opened while Adam held his five year old son's hand and they walked down the hallway. Adam wore a baseball cap and sunglasses as he swung his son's hand back and forth and smiled. It wasn't often that he went back to his universe and he knew that he was taking a big risk. Ever since he and his family became Time Lords and Time Ladies, the Torchwood in his universe was on the lookout for him or Theta. It didn't matter that the year he was visiting was years before he had changed and he sighed, gently squeezing Little David's hand. They walked by the nurses and other visitors as they headed down the hallway and Little David held the teddy beat tightly against his chest. They were going to visit Little David's godfather, who was in the hospital following back surgery, and Adam had called to ask if it was alright for Little David to come see him. They stood in front of the door when Adam checked the name on the door and smiled, looking down at Little David.

"Right, you ready?" he asked and Little David nodded. Adam slowly opened the door when he peeked inside the room and smiled. "You awake?"

"Yeah," the voice said as Adam led Little David inside the room and the door closed behind them. Walking to the bed, Adam removed the baseball cap and sunglasses and placed them on the night table near the bed. Ruffling his hair, Adam smiled at his best friend, who was lying on his right side under the sheet and blanket, and David smiled back. "It's sticking up."

"I bet," Adam said when he helped Little David sit on the chair and pushed the chair toward the bed. The needle to the IV was taped to David's hand as he scratched the itch on the bridge of his nose and sighed. He was wearing a white hospital gown with small blue and yellow stripes and stubble dotted his jaw line. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," David said then looked at Little David, who was pouting. "Hey there, what's with the lip?"

"I don't like that you're sick," Little David said softly, looking down.

"Neither do I, but it's either surgery or pain and I am NOT a big fan of pain."

"This is for you," Little David said, handing him the teddy bear and David smiled.

"Thanks," David said, holding the teddy bear to his chest. "Um, are you James or David?"

"David," Little David said and David looked at Adam.

"You got to stop bringing them at different ages. I'm getting confused," David said with a smile and Adam softly laughed. Little David half smiled and David looked at him. "How old are you?"

"This many," Little David said, holding up five fingers and David's mouth fell open while his eyes bugged out.

"Wow, that's a whole hand!" he said and Little David giggled.

"Has the doctor come and seen you today?" Adam asked and David grinned.

"Nope, just you," he said and Adam frowned, thinking for a few seconds then rolled his eyes.

"Very funny, I meant your doctor!"

"Ah, yeah, he came in about an hour ago."

"What did he say?"

"He told me that I'm healing nicely and might be able to go home tomorrow."

"Can I ask you something?" Little David asked and David looked at him.

"Sure, Bump, what do you want to ask me?"

"Daddy told me what they did but what did they do with the bits and pieces?" Little David asked and David softly laughed.

"Well, I asked my doctor what they were going to do with it before the surgery and he told me that he was just going to get rid of it. I think they burn it or something like that. Don't know why, but I asked if I could keep it."

"Why?"

"Not really sure. I just thought it would be neat having it. He said he would put it in a jar and I'll take it with me when I go home."

"I want to see it!" Little David said and David smiled, nodding his head.

"Did he say anything about you going back to work?" Adam asked and David looked at him.

"Yeah, I can go back to work but I'll have to take it easy," David said and Adam nodded. The door opened as Adam slid the baseball cap and sunglasses back on while the nurse walked in and looked at them.

"Sorry, but I have to ask you to leave," the nurse said.

"Oh, come on, they just got here," David said, pouting.

"It's time for your sponge bath," she said and David grinned.

"Right, out with you!" David said, gently waving his hand at Adam and Adam nodded. Picking Little David off the chair, they said their goodbyes then left the room and Adam held Little David's hand tightly in his.

"Daddy," he asked and Adam looked down at him.

"What?"

"Can we ask Uncle Theta to come and make Uncle David better so he's not sick anymore?" Little David asked when Adam stopped and knelt down in front of him. Smiling, he hugged Little David then stood up and they walked down the hallway.

(A few days later)

The soft sound of wheezing and grinding filled the air as the TARDIS materialized in the alley near the theater and Adam walked outside, after opening the doors. Standing back, he watched while Little David walked outside and Adam closed then locked the doors. Adam and Little David were dressed in dark blue suits, white shirts, dark blue tie, dark blue socks and black shoes. Marion wasn't sure if Little David was old enough to go see a nearly three hour play but he promised to take a long nap before they left and he smiled, talking Adam's hand.

"Right, let's go," Adam said, placing the sunglasses on as they walked out of the alley and Adam noticed that no one noticed them. They walked down the pavement while Little David looked at the posters then stopped and tugged on Adam's hand.

"Daddy, look, it's Uncle David!" he said as he pointed to the poster for Hamlet and Adam nodded. They headed for the door when they stood in the queue and Little David held onto Adam's hand. Adam scanned the crowd as he checked to see if he and Marion were in the crowd then relaxed. He knew that they had gone to see David in Hamlet a few times during the run of the play and knew that it would create a paradox if he ran into himself. The queue moved when they walked inside the theater and he handed the man the tickets. They walked toward the doors then walked inside the room and Little David looked around. A young lady walked closer as she held the playbill in her arms and Adam showed her the ticket stub. Nodding, she led them to where they were sitting when she handed him the playbills and he nodded. Sitting down, he watched as Little David tried to sit in the seat but he couldn't see and Adam smiled, picking him up then placed him on his lap. They were sitting on the aisle as Little David looked at the stage and leaned back against Adam's chest.

"Are you sure David's here?" Little David asked and Adam nodded. The lights went down as Adam took his sunglasses off and hoped no one looked at him in the dim light. Looking like David was how they met and he smiled as Little David sat up on his legs and searched the stage for David.

"_There he is!" _Little David thought as he pointed to David and Adam nodded. Watching the performance, Adam glanced at Little David as he smiled and was enraptured by David's performance. When the lights came up for the intermission, Adam placed the sunglasses on when someone tapped his back and he turned around. The young woman who gave him the playbills smiled at him when he saw the piece of paper in her hand and Little David looked up at him.

"What does it say, Daddy?" he asked and Adam opened the piece of paper, looking at what was written on the paper. Nodding, he took Little David's hand when they walked down the aisle toward the stage when Adam showed the security guard what was on the piece of paper and the security guard looked at the clipboard in his hand. He nodded then led Adam and Little David to the stairs as they went upstairs then behind the curtain and Little David looked around.

"_Where are we going?" _he thought while they walked by the performers and Adam gently squeezed his hand.

"_It's a surprise," _Adam thought when they stopped at a dressing room door and the security guard knocked on the door.

"Yes?" a voice asked.

"Your friends are here, Sir," the security guard said.

"Ah, let 'em in," the voice said as the security guard opened the door and Adam led Little David inside the dressing room. Closing the door, Adam let go of Little David's hand as he smiled and sat down on the couch near the door. Under the small lights were three large mirrors and a long white table and Little David climbed onto the chair that was sitting in front of the table. A rack of costumes sat next to a door to the right and a bowl of fruit sat on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Be right out."

"What are you doing in there?" Little David asked and a soft giggle came from behind the door.

"I'm taking a tinkle!" the voice said then a low flushing sound and running water filled the air. The door opened when David walked out of the small bathroom and tossed the paper towel into the trashcan.

"My turn!" Little David said as he got off the chair and ran into the bathroom, closing the door.

"Need some help?" Adam asked.

"Um, I can't reach the potty."

"Stand on the little box near the door," David said.

"Ok," Little David said and David walked to the rack of costumes, taking the costume he was going to wear off the hangers. Adam picked the script off the coffee table while David changed clothes when they heard a flushing sound and looked at the door. The door opened while Little David looked out and smiled at them. "I can't reach the sink."

"Hang on," Adam said, placing the script down and walked into the bathroom. A few minute later they walked out of the bathroom as David smiled and leaned on the table.

"So, how old are you now?" David asked.

"I'm still five," Little David said and David nodded.

"You want to come meet the rest of the cast?" David asked and Little David looked up at Adam.

"Can I?" Little David asked.

"Do we have time?" Adam asked and David nodded. "Sure, go ahead."

Adam watched them leave the room while David closed the door and Adam got up, walked to the bathroom, going inside, and closed the door behind him. A few minutes later the door opened as David and Little David walked inside the room and Adam looked up from reading the script. Little David let go of David's hand when Little David ran to the couch and sat down next to him.

"Did you have fun?" Adam asked and Little David nodded, showing him the playbill. The entire cast had signed it as Adam smiled and ruffled Little David's hair. "Did you thank them?"

"Yep," Little David said, popping the "p".

"Well, you better get back to your seats," David said as they nodded then left the room. The lights were dimming by the time they got back to their seats and Little David sat on Adam's lap. The curtain came up as the play started and Adam removed the sunglasses. Little David jumped when someone ruffled his hair then looked up and saw David standing next to him. Giving Little David a wink, David headed for the stage while they watched him and Little David snuggled against Adam.

Adam was surprised that Little David stay awake for the whole play and did jump when David fired a gun at the mirror but he wasn't sure how Little David would react to the end of the play. The swordfight started as Little David sat forward and placed his hands on the back of the seat in front of them. Standing up on Adam's legs, he watched as David fell to the stage then closed his eyes and Adam felt the fear in Little David's mind.

"NO, DAVID, DON'T DIE!" Little David shouted as he fell onto Adam's lap and started crying. Hushing him, Adam sent love into Little David's mind as he sobbed harder and Adam slowly stood up. He quickly carried Little David out of the room while the doors slammed behind them and Adam held his son in his arms, hushing him.

"Is he ok?" David asked as he ran to them and Adam rubbed Little David's back.

"David?" Little David asked, sniffing and David nodded. He held his arms out as Adam handed Little David to him and Little David held onto David.

"I am so sorry that I scared you. I thought you knew that Hamlet dies at the end of the play," David said and Little David shook his head.

"I should have told you," Adam said as he rubbed Little David's back and Little David sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Bad Daddy," David said, shaking a finger at Adam then looked at Little David. "Just for that, you're coming home with me."

"No, please, don't take my son!" Adam begged while dropping to his knees and David laughed.

"Nope, he's mine!" David said, turning around and looked at the wall.

"But Marion will beat me if I come home without him!" Adam said but David shook his head and Little David giggled.

"You two are silly!" Little David said as he giggled and Adam stood up.

"Yeah, we are!" David said then handed Little David to Adam and ruffled Little David's hair. "Can I go back and finish dying?"

"Yeah," Little David said, nodding.

"Come on," David said as they walked to the door and walked inside the backstage area. They watched as David walked back on stage then sat on the floor and placed his wrists on his knees. "Sorry about that. It turns out that I just scared the heck out of my godson because he didn't know that I'm supposed to die."

The audience softly laughed when he shrugged then slid to the floor and finished the scene. The audience clapped as the curtain came down and David got up, walking to Adam and Little David.

"That was cool!" Little David said and David ruffled his hair. The curtain came up as the cast went out for a final curtain call and David looked at Little David. Holding his hand out, he softly nodded and they walked out onto the stage. David smiled down at him as they bowed then David knelt down and Little David smiled at him.

"So, Godson, want to tell them you're name?" he asked and Little David nodded.

"It's David Alan Storm."

"And how old are you?"

"I'm five," Little David said, holding up five fingers.

"Did you like the play?"

"Yeah, but I didn't like that he died."

"Sorry about that," David said and hugged Little David. Standing up, David held his hand out and Little David took his hand. They did another bow as the curtain came down and they walked to Adam. David let go of Little David's hand as Little David ran to Adam and Adam knelt down, holding his arms out while Little David ran to him and hugged him.

"Did you see me on stage, Daddy?" Little David asked and Adam nodded, standing up.

"So, who's up for some pizza after I come back from signing autographs?" David said and Little David waved his arm as he jumped up and down.

"I guess he does," Adam said as they laughed and walked off the stage, Little David holding tightly onto David's hand.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

"Mummy! Look at me!" Chaska said as he ran around in the surf with Jack.

Rain who was swimming a few feet away smiled at her son.

"I see ya, Sweetie!" she called out.

Chaska, who was wearing an orange life vest waded in towards her while Jack escorted him. Several feet away from them, Ianto was enjoying the water and smiling at them. He waved when Chaska waved back at him and kicked his legs towards Rain who reached out for him. While he was doing that, Jack swam nearby, keeping an eye on them. They splashed around in the surf awhile before they decided to get out of the water. Ianto went to lay down on his blanket while Rain walked with Chaska along the beach so he could pick seashells with her. Jack glanced at Ianto who was lying on the blanket with his eyes closed. Deciding not to disturb his husband, he took off after Rain.

"Do you mind if I walk with ya?" he asked her.

"Not at all. I'd love the company."

Jack grinned at Chaska who was staring up at him quietly. He held out his hand and Chaska beamed as he took it.

"He's so cute. He looks just like his dad," Jack said to Rain as they walked along. "He's gonna be a real ladykiller when he grows up."

"And I suppose you ll be giving him lessons on how to be one," Rain teased.

"Naturally," Jack teased back.

They paused a moment to let Chaska pick up half of an oyster shell from the beach and examine it.

"Have you and Ianto ever talked about children?" Rain asked him while she examined the shell Chaska handed to her.

"Yeah," Jack said. "I want some but Ianto's not so sure. I think he thinks he'd make a crappy parent but it isn't like he'd be raising him alone. I'd be there and so would the rest of the family. I think he likes helping to raise everyone else's kids but doesn t want the responsibility of raising his own."

"I would like a friend to play with. You should have a boy," Chaska said as they resumed walking.

"You would? Well, I'll have to tell Yan you want a friend to play with and maybe that'll change his mind," Jack said to him.

Rain smiled at the two of them walking along, picking up shells and rocks and discussing them. She smiled when Chaska hurried over to her and showed what they found. Every shell and pebble he picked up she would put in her pocket for him. They continued their treasure hunt for about a mile before they decided to turn around and head back to their picnic spot.

"So!" Alan said as he led Namid out of the building. "What did you think of the flying?"

"That was fun!" Namid squealed.

"You see, I told you it would be. I wanna go with my daddy. Pfft. We can have tons of fun together, you and me."

He picked Namid up and smothered her face with kisses. Namid held on to him as they walked together.

"Oh, Namid, you and I have so much fun together. We make a good team," Alan said as he walked with her down the street.

"I love you, Uncle Alan."

"Awwww, now you made my hearts melt into mush. I ll have to buy new ones, good excuse for a shopping trip, eh?"

"Yes!" Namid said happily as Alan held her tighter.

"Would you like to go eat something now?"

"Yes, I'm hungry."

"Me too. But then again, I'm always hungry. Hungry hungry hippo, me. Anyway, let's go get some burgers and chips and have some fun before we have to take you back to your fuddy duddy father, eh?"

"Oi!" Rose said laughing as Christopher ran after her ball and took it out of the hole. "You stop doing that. That hole in one was legal and you can't take it away from me!"

"No, you have to hit it again!" Christopher said as he put the ball at the edge of the green.

"Again?" Rose moaned as her son giggled. "Again? I don't wanna hit it again."

"Yes, Mummy, you gotta hit it again and again and again and..."

He squealed with laughter when Rose tried to tickle him. He ran to the next golf course and stood laughing as Rose picked up his club and menaced him with it and hers. She laughed as Christopher dodged her and ran the other way. She dropped the clubs and grabbed him, showering his face with kisses as he tried to squirm out of his grasp.

"Oh no, you have to stay and endure my kisses for mucking with my ball," she said before she gave him more kisses.

She let go of him and ruffled his hair as they went back to playing their game.

"Okay," John said as he settled down into the seat next to his daughter with some popcorn and sodas. "This is all for me and none for you. Enjoy the film."

"No, I want some, Daddy," Jackie said with a giggle.

She laughed harder when John stared at her with bulging eyes while he hugged the food close to his body.

"Give me forty trillion credits and I'll toss you a popcorn kernel," he said to her.

"Okay, here," Jackie said, pretending to give him money.

John raised his eyebrow as she laughed harder.

"I wasn't kidding," he said. "I'm insulted you think I was kidding about the forty trillion credits. Now you get nothing."

"Please, Daddy, can I have some?"

"Oooh, if I must share," he said, feigning exasperation as he passed her a cup of Coke and put the tub of popcorn between them.

"Ooo," Jackie said, digging in and eating some of the popcorn.

"Now, I want you to understand something," John said as she ate. "I have seen the Lion King eighty bubilliontrilliongazillion times so don't be surprised if I fall asleep halfway through. Or I'll start quoting the entire film in your ear while you try to concentrate. So be prepared."

Jackie finished eating the handful of popcorn. She looked at her father and grinned as she poked his arm. She giggled when he stopped in mid-sip of his Coke and eyed her.

"No, bad daughter," he said, taking the straw out of his mouth. "Mustn't touch me. I'm perfection."

Jackie giggled when she poked him again and his eyebrow raised.

"Apparently you have a hearing problem, I s'pose that ll be my next stop after we leave here," he said to her. "But for the moment, I will leave you alone because I have the urge to text silly things to Adam. Watch this."

Jackie ate some popcorn while she watched John pull his mobile out of his pocket. He grinned while he inputted one word on the screen and then he showed it to his daughter. The screen said

Poop.

He told her what it said and Jackie giggled harder when he hit send and whistled as he sat the mobile down on the armrest beside him.

"You and Uncle Adam are silly," she said.

"We just love goofing off, that's all and ooops, here he is now," he said when the mobile vibrated.

He picked it up and snickered.

Pee.

He told Jackie what it said and she giggled.

"Say moo to him," she said.

John giggled, typed in moo and hit send. He waited and two minutes later his pager vibrated. He read it.

Bored, are we?

Yes, very bored, he texted back. We're waiting for Lion King to start so I can make fun of it.

He hit send and ate some popcorn. The mobile buzzed again.

Lion King? That's the best you could do? How many times have you seen that film? Forty gillion?

Close, he texted back. But this is Jackie's night and she wanted to see Lion King.

He hit send and a moment later got a reply.

Jackie? Isn't she a bit old for Lion King? I figured that crusty, wrinkly bitch would prefer Eastenders or quiz shows to...oh wait, you mean your daughter, my bad!

John snickered. He told Jackie what it said, leaving out the bitch part of it. Jackie giggled. John was about to text something back when the theater darkened.

"Get to him later, for now, it's on with the show!" John said.

To be continued...


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

The doorbell rang while Theta walked to the door and opened it. Jamie, Donald and Zoe stood on the porch as Theta smiled and stood back, allowing them to come into the house. Closing the door, Theta smiled when Donald and Zoe sat on the floor and Jamie took their sneakers off.

"So, who's ready for some fun?" he asked as they stood up and smiled at him.

"Where's Cam?" Donald asked when Cam ran down the stairs and had a cardboard box in his hand.

"There he is," Theta said as they ran to Cam and sat on the floor. Cam opened the cardboard box when he dumped the toy cars onto the floor and they started playing with them. Jamie placed the small sneakers on the shoe rack while Theta watched the children playing and smiled, looking at Jamie. "Care for a cuppa tea?"

"Aye, that would be great," Jamie said with a nod and Theta called to the children.

"We'll be in the kitchen if you need us," he said and the children nodded. Jamie and Theta headed for the kitchen when Theta walked to the cupboard and opened the door. He took out a tin then walked to the cabinet where Frankie kept the mugs and took out two of them, placing them on the counter. He jumped when he heard water running and turned, seeing Jamie filled the teapot with water.

"Sorry," Jamie said as he turned the water off, walked to the stove, turned the burner on and placed the teapot down.

"No, I'm sorry," Theta sighed and opened the tin, removing two teabags. He placed the teabags in the mugs then walked to the kitchen island and placed the mugs on the counter. The teapot whistled when Theta picked the teapot off the burner and turned the stove off. Pouring the water carefully into the mugs, he handed one of the mugs to Jamie and Jamie smiled.

"Ta," Jamie said with a nod of his head then opened the drawer, took out a spoon and placed two scoop of sugar into the mug. Theta watched him as he smiled then sipped on the tea and leaned against the kitchen island, placing his elbows on the counter. "What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking how funny it that you and I are fathers. Who would have thought that would happen?"

"Aye, it is odd. The thing is, you have tae remember that I've been a father before," Jamie said, sipping on the tea.

"Yeah, but Angus, Robbie, Ian, Conner, Victoria and Frazer were kids when you adopted them," he said and Jamie shook his head.

"I wasnae talking aboot them," Jamie said with a sigh and Theta rolled his eyes, feeling foolish.

"Oh, you were talking about…" he said and Jamie nodded.

"It's funny, I can see their faces as clear as I can see yours and I remember all of their births," Jamie said and Theta's hearts hurt. "Och, dinnae do that again."

"Do what?" Theta asked, sipping on the tea.

"Dinnae go feeling all guilty aboot what happened tae me."

"Jamie, half of your mind was ripped out of your head."

"Aye an' I had tae relearn nearly everything. What you dinnae get is that you gave me the chance tae live out my life tae the end. We're nae sure if I was supposed tae survive Culloden, let alone get married an' have bairn," Jamie said when Donald walked into the kitchen and pulled on Jamie's jeans, making him look down at him. "Aye, what do you want?"

"I want a biscuit!" Donald said and Jamie blinked, his lower lip sticking out.

"You do, do you? Is that how we ask for one?"

"Um, I want a biscuit, please?" Donald asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Close enough!" Theta said with a smile then walked to the biscuit jar and took the lid off. He took out three biscuits when he placed the lid on the jar and walked to Donald. "Here you go."

"I get three biscuits?" Donald asked, wide eyed.

"No, you get one, Zoe gets one and Cam gets one!" Theta said as Donald nodded and walked toward the doorway.

"Ah, what do you say?" Jamie asked and Donald smiled.

"Thank you, Pa-paw," Donald said as he left the room and Theta smiled. Walking back to the kitchen island, Theta picked up the mug and sipped on the tea, placing his elbows on the counter.

"Why can't the other kids act like that?" he asked and Jamie rolled his eyes.

"Well, seeing who their fathers are, I'm surprised that they survived their first birthdays," Jamie said and Theta gave him a shocked look.

"Are you saying that Adam's son is reckless?"

"Have you seen him with Alan's son?" Jamie asked as Theta thought for a few seconds then sighed, nodding his head.

"You're right, Chris is a terror."

"Just dinnae let Alan hear you call him that."

"Oh, like I'm afraid of Mister Trouser Chili," Theta said and Jamie laughed while Zoe walked into the room and pulled on Jamie's jeans, making him look down at her. "Aye, what can I do for you?"

"May I have a biscuit, Daddy?" she asked and Jamie frowned.

"Didnae Donny give you the biscuit Pa-paw gave him?"

"Aye, but I want another one."

"Well, I dinnae ken," Jamie said as Theta walked to the biscuit jar and removed the lid. Taking out three biscuits, he placed the lid back on the jar and walked to her.

"Right, one for each of you," he said, handing Zoe the biscuits.

"Thank you, Pa-paw," she said as she ran out of the room and Jamie shrugged. Walking to the kitchen island, Theta picked up the mug and placed his elbows on the counter.

"Where were we? Oh, right, you were telling me about your other children," Theta said and Jamie sighed, sipping on the tea.

"My eldest was called Alexander…" Jamie said and Theta smiled.

"You named him after your laird's son?"

"Aye, though I had no memory of him," Jamie said and Theta looked at the counter, half closing his eyes. "Dinnae do that."

"Right, so, how many kids are we talking about?" Theta asked and Jamie closed his eyes, silently counting how many children he had with Rosealie.

"Well, there was Alexander, Donald…"

"You have two sons named Donald?"

"Och, aye, I guess I do," Jamie said with a smile. "Then there was Daniel, Hamish…"

"Why did your voice change when you said his name?"

"Hamish was born blind."

"You mean like Namid?" Theta asked when Cam came into the room and walked to him. Theta looked down when he smiled and shook his head. "Let me guess. You want a biscuit."

"Please?" Cam asked as Theta sighed and looked at Jamie.

"When did we start raising biscuit monsters?" Theta asked and Jamie laughed. Sighing, Theta walked to the biscuit jar, took the lid off the jar, removed some biscuits, placed the lid on the jar then walked to Cam and looked down at him. "This is the last time, understand?"

"Yes," Cam said then left the room. Shrugging, Theta walked to the kitchen island then placed his elbows on the counter and slid a biscuit toward Jamie. Nodding, Jamie picked it up then started nibbling on it and Theta sipped on the tea.

"Hamish was blind?" Theta asked and Jamie nodded.

"Dinnae get me wrong, we never treated him like he was different or anything," Jamie said.

"That's good."

"After Hamish was Ashley then James then Catherine then Mary," Jamie said then sighed.

"Jamie, is there something wrong?"

"Och, you're nae going tae believe me," Jamie said as Theta placed his hand on top of Jamie's hand and locked eyes with him.

"Tell me," he said when Donald, Zoe and Cam walked into the room and walked to them. Theta moved his hand back when he looked down at them and sighed. "What now?"

"We're thirsty, Daddy, can we have some milk?" Cam asked when Theta nodded and walked to the cabinet where the glasses were. He couldn't find the sippy cups as he sighed and took down three small glasses, placing them on the counter. Walking to the refrigerator, he opened the door when he took out a plastic bottle of milk and closed the door. He walked to the counter as he opened the plastic bottle of milk and pour the milk into the glasses. Placing the cap back on the plastic bottle of milk, he walked to the refrigerator and opened the door. He placed the plastic bottle of milk away then closed the door and walked to the counter. Donald, Zoe and Cam stood next to him as he gave them the glasses of milk and they held the glasses in their hands. "Thank you, Daddy."

"Thank you, Pa-paw," the twin said as he smiled then walked to the kitchen island and leaned against it.

"So, where were we?" Theta asked when they heard the sound of glass breaking and screaming and Theta turned around. The shattered glass sat on the floor in front of Cam's feet as the milk spread across the floor and Cam looked at him with wide, sad eyes. "Right, no one move."

"I'll go get the mop," Jamie said.

"It's in that cupboard," Theta said as he pointed and Jamie nodded, walking to the cupboard door while Theta looked at Donald, Zoe and Cam. "No one touch the glass."

"But I want to help," Cam said when he bent down then slipped on the milk, falling hard onto his bottom. Theta ran to him when he knelt down and saw that the milk was turning pink. Slowly, he lifted Cam's right hand with he saw the large shard of glass sticking out of the palm of Cam's hand and Cam's eyes went wide.

"Ew, he's bleeding!" Zoe said as Jamie ran to them and handed Theta the dish towel that was hanging on the ring near the stove.

"Jamie, I need you to call Frankie. She's over at Rain's," Theta said when he carefully wrapped the towel around Cam's hand, picked Cam up and ran out of the room. Cam was crying against his shoulder as Theta ran toward the garage door and opened the door, running toward the TARDIS. Snapping his fingers, he watched as the doors opened and he ran inside. The TARDIS had moved the medical bay next to the control room as Theta ran into the room and placed Cam down on the examination bed. Cam sniffed as Theta wiped his son's eyes with his thumbs and sighed. "I am so sorry."

"Why?" Cam asked while Theta slid the sterile cloth under Cam's hand and unwrapping the towel, looking at the blood oozing out from where the glass was sticking in the palm of Cam's hand.

"Because Daddy didn't give you a sippy cup," Theta said when a tray of medical equipment appeared next to Cam and Cam half smiled.

"They're in the dish washer," he said as Theta placed a sedative in a syringe and nodded.

"Ok, this is going to pinch a bit," he said as he injected the sedative into Cam's arm and Cam whimpered. Theta's hearts ached as he sent love into Cam's mind and Cam closed his eyes, going to sleep. Theta placed rubber gloves on when he looked at the glass shard then picked up the tweezers and tears rolled down his cheeks.

Frankie found Theta in the nursery as he slowly rocked Cam and Cam's head was resting on his shoulder. A blue plaster coveed Cam's right hand up to his wrist as his thumb stuck out of the plaster and she slowly walked to the rocking chair, kneeling down next to it.

"How is he?" she whispered while Theta rocked the chair back and forth and was looking straight ahead.

"I am so sorry," he said then blinked and she stood up, kissing the top of his head.

"It was an accident," she said but he shook his head and looked at Cam sleeping peacefully in his arms.

"I hurt my son," Theta said as tears rolled down his face and Frankie stroked Theta's hair.

"No, you didn't."

"I should have gotten a sippy cup out of the dishwasher."

"They were all dirty."

"I should have made them sit at the table."

"Yeah, you should have."

"He could have bled to death."

"He didn't," she said as he looked at her and she saw the anger and pain in his eyes.

"Why are you defending what I did?"

"Because you're beating yourself up over it," she said and placed her hand on top of his hand. "Love, this isn't the first time he's going to get hurt. He is going to get bumps, scraps, bruises and cuts. It's a part of childhood."

"I never had any. Then again, I was raised in a control environment so I never would have even touched broken glass, let alone get cut by it," he sighed and she nodded. Cam wiggled a bit in his arms when Cam opened his eyes and looked at Theta then at Frankie.

"Hi, Sweetie," she said and kissed his cheek."

"Hi, Mummy," Cam said then looked at the tears rolling down Theta's face. "Daddy, why are you crying?"

"Because I hurt you," he said and Cam sat up, looking at him.

"Nuh-unh," Cam said as he shook his head and pouted.

"Yep, I hurt my son and now he hates me."

"No, I don't. I love you!" he said and wrapped his arms around Theta's neck, hugging him.

"But…but…but…you shouldn't love me if I hurt you!" Theta said as he held Cam away from his body and Cam smiled.

"Daddy, you didn't hurt me. I fell down and got glass stuck in my hand," he said then held up the plaster. "See?"

"Oh, that looks like it hurt," Frankie said as she kissed the plaster and Cam giggled.

"Yeah, but I was really brave," Cam said and Theta frowned.

"Excuse me, but who was crying on my shoulder the whole way to the TARDIS?" Theta asked and Cam smiled.

"But I stopped when we got into the med bay."

"True and you were very brave when I had to sedate you," Theta said and Cam nodded.

"Well, sounds to me like my brave men need some ice cream," Frankie said as their eyes went wide and both of them smiled.

"Can we invite Donny and Zoe?" Cam asked, bouncing lightly on Theta's lap.

"Sure!" Frankie said as Cam got off of Theta's lap and Theta stood up. They left the nursery as she slid her arm around Theta's waist and placed her head on his arm.

"_You ok?" _she thought and he looked at her then smiled.

"_Yep," _he thought as Cam ran ahead of them and Frankie placed a finger on Theta's lips before he could say anything and he softly laughed.

"Come on!" Cam yelled as he ran around the corner and Theta looked at Frankie, shrugged and they ran to catch up with him.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

The Doctor and Sokanon sat together as the driver drove the carriage through the swirling snow. The Doctor looked down and smiled when he saw his daughter sitting beside him wearing her little muff.

"Muffy McMuff," he said.

"Daddy, quit. I'm not Muffy McMuff," Sokanon said as the Doctor put his hand over his mouth.

"Okay, I'll lay off the Muffy McMuff stuff. Say…that rhymes. I'm absolutely brilliant, aren't I?"

"Yes."

He patted her on the head.

"I knew there was a good reason for having children and now I see why. You exist to feed my ego," he said to her.

He made the driver stop the carriage in front of a restaurant. He stepped out and helped Sokanon out.

"Cheers, mate," he said to the driver who waved at him and went on. "Now!" he said to Sokanon. "I want you on your best behavior in here. This is a fancy restaurant and I don't want you embarrassing me. Let me embarrass both of us."

"Okay, Daddy."

The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder and they walked to the front door of the restaurant. The walls were made of white granite and the double doors were made of gold with glass in each side. La Traconda was painted in elegant gold lettering on the left glass panel. The Doctor opened the door and bowed to his daughter.

"After you, Madam," he said.

"Thank yoooooou," Sokanon said as she walked inside.

The Doctor chuckled and followed her. Inside, the restaurant had dark blue wallpaper on the walls with gold trim. With the soft lighting from the overhead lamps at each table, the whole restaurant had an intimate feel to it. They waited at the front to be seated and the Doctor groaned when a small metal robot glided up. He was about two feet tall and was wearing a tuxedo. In his metal hands were two menus.

"Table for two?" he asked in a metallic voice tinged with a French accent.

"Yes, me and my daddy are eating here," Sokanon said to him

"Very good, Miss, follow me," the robot said.

The Doctor put his hand on her back as they followed the robot through the semi-crowded restaurant. The tables were round and wooden with tablecloths that had the same blue color as the walls. Gold trim were around the bottom of the tablecloths and on top of them were several crystal dishes and two unlit candles. The Doctor looked down at his daughter and noticed that her hands were still firmly inside the muff.

"Are you ever gonna take your hands outta that muff, Muffy?" he said as the robot led them to a table in the back.

"I like it, Daddy, makes my hands warm," Sokanon said, glancing up at him.

"Yes, but you need to take them out sometime to eat unless you're just gonna stick your face in your plate," the Doctor said.

The robot showed them their table and the Doctor sat down in a wooden chair beside his daughter who still had her hands inside the muff. Once the waiter got their drink order and moved away, the Doctor stared down at the muff as Sokanon giggled.

"Am I gonna have to surgically remove that muff from your hands?" he asked her.

"I like my muff, Daddy. It's warm."

She giggled when the Doctor tried to take her hands out and laughed harder when she stuck them back inside as fast as he pulled them out. After five tries at getting her hands out, the Doctor drummed his fingers on the table while he stared at the muff.

"Hmmm, how to get your hands out of there? I wonder," he mused as Sokanon giggled. "Perhaps a pry bar? I must ask that waiter if they have one available."

Sokanon gave him a cheeky grin, took both hands out and shoved them back in quickly as the Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, so now you're gonna be a pest, eh?" he asked as Sokanon giggled. "Cheeky, just like your old man."

"I like my muff, Daddy."

"I know, that's the problem. I'll never be able to separate ya from it now," the Doctor said.

The waiter returned with a glass of milk and tea and milk for the Doctor. The Doctor took a sip of tea and watched closely as Sokanon stared at her glass of milk without taking her hands out of the muff.

"Well, Muffy, how ya gonna drink your milk with your hands inside there?" he asked her.

Sokanon slid out of her chair and started to climb up on it.

"Ah! No you don't, you're going to sit like a lady," the Doctor said. "I'm not going to spend the night in the hospital because your chair tipped over and you busted your head open in your attempt to drink your milk without hands. Now, take your hands out of the muff and drink your milk."

Sokanon sat back down and took her hands out of the muff. She sipped her milk while the Doctor sipped his tea.

"So, what do you want to eat, my little daughter?" he asked her as he reached for the menu.

"Food!"

"Okay, miss smart gob," the Doctor said as she giggled.

"I want a burger, Daddy."

"Okay, my daughter wants crème brulee."

"No, I want a burger."

"My daughter wants filet mignon."

"Burger, Daddy."

"What's that? You want vichyssoise?"

"No," Sokanon said giggling. "Burger and chips."

"Oh very well, I was going to expose you to gourmet food tonight but if you want a burger and chips as usual…"

Sokanon sipped her milk while she watched her father study the menu.

"I, on the other hand might have the filet mignon with baked potato, extra butter, sour cream and parsley of course. Because you see, I like more than burger and chips."

Sokanon giggled as he stuck out his tongue and did the same in return. She laughed when he tried to grab it.

"Keep that tongue in your mouth unless you want it ripped from its roots," the Doctor said airly as he pretended to study the menu.

Sokanon grinned and put her hand over the part of the menu she guessed he was looking at. She laughed when the Doctor feigned exasperation.

"Young lady, do you know who I am?" he asked her.

"Poopy Face?"

Sokanon giggled and hunkered down in her chair as the Doctor eyed her.

"I," he said with feigned pomposity, "am the Doctor."

"Uh-huh," Sokanon said.

"I…am not to be addressed as Poopy Face or suffer the indignity of your little pink tongue."

"Uh-huh."

"I am your king."

"Yeah," Sokanon said flippantly as she grabbed her glass of milk.

She giggled into it as the Doctor leaned over and stared at her intently.

"I will be addressed in this manner. Yes, your majesty, not "Yeah," he said to her.

"Yeah."

She giggled again when he let out a sigh.

"Fine, say goodbye to this," he said, trying to take the muff.

"No, Daddy, I like it."

"Then you say, yes, your majesty to me."

"No."

She laughed when the Doctor gave her a wry look and tickled her armpits. He smiled when she let out a contented sigh and leaned her head against his. He put his arm around her and rubbed her arm as he gently kissed the top of her head.

After supper, they left the building and headed back towards the TARDIS.

"Did you have fun?" the Doctor asked her as they walked.

"Yes, I liked my burger and chips, Daddy."

"Well, I liked my filet mignon and it's your majesty, remember that," he chided as she giggled.

As they went past the building, Sokanon noticed something in the alleyway. She stopped and looked at a homeless man who was lying in an old battered box with a few tattered blankets over him, desperately trying to keep warm in the snow. Sokanon walked over to him.

"Hello," she said to the man as the Doctor did an about-face a few feet past her and walked back. "What you doing in there?"

The homeless man raised his head and stared at her. He was in his mid-forties with a full beard and matted hair. His eyes were watery and red from sickness and lack of sleep. He cleared his throat when he saw it was a young child addressing him.

"I'm trying to sleep, Sweetie," he said as the Doctor came up beside his daughter and stared at him sadly.

"Where's your bedroom?" Sokanon asked.

"This is it, Sweetie. I sleep here," the man said.

Sokanon came closer and peeked inside the box.

"Where's your bed?" she asked the man.

"This is it. This is my bed."

Sokanon frowned in confusion as the Doctor watched the scene play out before him.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked him.

"Yes, but this is all I have," the man said.

The Doctor's eyes shifted to his daughter and a smile spread over his face when he saw Sokanon take her hands out of the muff, take it off and hold it out to him.

"Here, this is warm, use this," she said.

The man was startled as he stared at the gift. He glanced up at the Doctor who was staring at him with kindness on his face.

"I…I can't take this, Sweetie, it's yours, isn't it?" the man said hesitantly.

"Yes, but you need it if you're cold," Sokanon said, laying it down beside his head. "It's warm. Try it."

The Doctor knelt down beside Sokanon as tears came to the man's eyes.

"My daughter loves that muff more than anything but she's giving it to you without a second thought," the Doctor said to him.

"I can't accept it, sir. I can't take things from a child."

"No. But I believe I can help you," the Doctor said as he stood up and reached into his pocket.

He pulled out his magic wallet and produced ten thousand quandros, the currency of the planet. The man's eyes bulged when he handed it to him.

"But, I can't…" he said.

"Please. My daughter and I both want you to be warm and safe," the Doctor said. "Trust me, I have more where this came from."

"Please take it," Sokanon urged. "Be warm and happy."

The man's eyes misted over as he took the money and blessed them both. He handed Sokanon the muff and smiled when Sokanon walked over and kissed his cheek. They both waved at the man and the Doctor smiled at his daughter as they walked away.

"I am proud of you, my treasure," he said to her. "Very proud. You did a good thing tonight."

"Yup," Sokanon said, putting the muff back around her neck.

The Doctor patted her on the head and walked beside her as she and him headed back for home to reunite with the others and tell them about their night.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

The Doctor stood opposite his foe, his body tense and ready for battle. On the other side of the room, his adversary relaxed and prepared himself for the coming battle. The two opponents stood together in a dojo in Hong Kong, both of them seasoned fighters. The Doctor quickly sized up the other man with an expert eye and got into a fighting stance. Then suddenly, the two of them sprang towards one another, fists flying as they punched and kicked and tried to defeat the other. The Doctor ducked and weaved, expertly avoiding the muscular Asian man in front of him as he tried to get the upper hand. But the Asian man had been through years of training and he was every bit as capable as the Doctor was. Even though the Doctor wasn't winded, he could tell that it would take all his skill to win this contest.

For fifteen minutes, the two men sparred with one another, each trying to hold out long enough to win. The Doctor grinned when he landed a kick to the man's chest but it barely phased him as the man returned a roundhouse kick. The Doctor was able to jerk back just as the man's foot went by his face. Switching tactics, the Doctor tried to go for his feet but the man was too quick for him and the Doctor was rewarded with a kick to the face that sent him to the floor. He was up and on his feet in no time but the man came at him quickly and the Doctor suddenly found himself in the middle of a lightning assault of punches and kicks from the man. Then he felt the man's leg connect with the back of his and he fell hard to the floor, the wind knocked out of him as the man followed him down and planted his knee on the Doctor's chest, his fist poised to strike him in the face and break the Doctor's nose. Then suddenly, the man let out a laugh and got up off of him as Rain and the triplets laughed. The Doctor looked over at them as they sat in the corner of the dojo with Bruce Lee's son and daughter, Brandon and Shannon.

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side. Quit laughing," he said to his wife and four year old triplets as he got to his feet.

"Sorry, dear," Rain said. "Not every day you get to see your husband get his ass kicked by Bruce Lee."

"Thanks a lot, Rain," the Doctor said as Bruce chuckled.

He grinned at Bruce and the two men shook hands.

"Good match," the Doctor said.

"Very good. I'm surprised. Not many men can hold their own against me," Bruce said.

"Yeah, well I've had a lot of training in my younger years," the Doctor said, not bothering to tell him he'd been using Venusian Aikido moves on him.

Bruce patted him on the back as they walked over to their families. Brandon hopped up and ran over to him.

"You did really good, Daddy," he said to him.

"Thank you, Brandon. It was a rough fight but I managed to come out on top," Bruce said, tousling his hair.

He smiled as Chaska hopped up and held his fists up.

"Oho, you want to fight me next, little one?" he said to the Doctor's son.

Bruce chuckled as Sokanon, Namid, Brandon and Shannon joined him and surrounded him.

"Looks like you have your work cut out for you now, mate," the Doctor said. "I don't think you'll be able to fight all these children all at once."

"No, my friend, I think you're right. I have no chance," Bruce said as he knelt down.

He hugged each of the children in turn as Rain got up and went to her husband's side.

"Instead of fighting me, would you mind if I fed you all?" Bruce asked them.

The Doctor chuckled when they all cheered.

"Follow me then," he said to the children as he walked off.

The Doctor took Rain's hand and they watched with glee as the children followed Bruce Lee towards the door of his personal dojo so they could all get something to eat.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Early morning was always my favorite time of day. Just as the sun starts to arch over the horizon and the sky turns a faint blue and purple. I had seen many sunrises on so many worlds yet seeing the sunrise with a small baby in your arms is something dreams are made of. It's odd though. I've been a father before but seeing the calm face of my little girl as we stand by the window makes my hearts cry.

"Faith," I whisper as she wiggles just slightly in my arms and grabs hold of my finger. I thank whatever powers are out there that I was able to be here for her birth and not in exile.

"_Stop that!" _I tell myself as my mind replays those long few months, dreading the time when I would have to go back to Solis. True, it was only for a week but it was a week too long. But, I correct myself, if it wasn't for that exile I would never had the chance to be reunited with my mother.

"Your grandmother is a very tough lady," I whisper and gently rock my daughter.

My mother had spent who knows how many years thinking that I was dead and, truthfully, I thought she was dead as well. She had to become tough and run a rebellion against the bastard I thought was my father.

"_To think I had to prove myself to him when the one who was proud of me never had the nerve to tell me who he was," _I think to myself and sigh, thinking about Pandor. I do understand that it was an experiment to see what the difference between natural childbirth to looming but I also understand why I'm so different from the Gallifreyans on my world.

"I'm a rebel and I'll never be any good," I softly sing and Faith smiles. Oh, how she melts my hearts when she smiles. She has the cutest dimples and Frankie says that she got them from me. I never noticed my dimples before. Walking to the mirror, I smile when I see my dimples and hum. "Well, look at that, I have dimples!"

Faith yawns then snuggles close to my chest as I cup my mouth and know that Frankie will be mad if I wake Faith up. I softly rock Faith as I walked around the room and look at things in the dim light. The walls were painted a soft pink with a baby blue border and multi color butterflies are on the walls. Frankie thought I was nuts when I put up the Disney Princesses stickers on the wall between the butterflies but Faith is my princess, so there.

"You know something, Love, I've noticed something. Ariel, Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White are princess but the others aren't. Cinderella, she was the daughter of a baron, I think, until her stepmother turned her into a chav. Belle was a tinkerer's daughter. Mulan was the daughter of a shogun. Pocahontas, well, she could be a princess but she was really a chief's daughter. And that girl in the Frog Prince movie, I don't remember what she was before becoming a princess."

Faith doesn't answer as I sit down on the rocking chair and place my feet on the footstool. I had gone through seven antique stores before I found the right rocking chair and footstool. It was a rich oak with animals carved into the wood and had green velvet cushions. Frankie told me that we had a perfectly good rocking chair and footstool from when Cam was born but it didn't match the rest of the furniture.

"Hey, you deserve the best," I whisper while rocking Faith and she give me a tiny smile. I look at her while the sun brightens the room some more and I look at the bookcase. It was filled with shelves and shelves of books and most of them were Disney books. I know that her favorite book so far is The Lion King and I think I do a mean Simba impression. I do fudge over the part where his father dies but she seems to look at me like she knows that I'm not telling her everything.

"_How can I do that to you? It is so sad that he loses his father at such a young age then blames himself for his death," _I think to myself then Pandor's face appears in my head. Is that why I'm so unsure about telling her? True, having Rassilon for a father, not the real Rassilon, that's the name he took, wasn't something I like talking about. My mother says that I need to come to terms with the past, see passed him and cling to the memories of my true father.

"But how can I do that when I only knew him for a few days?" I ask myself. There is a simple solution for all this. I just need to talk with my mother about him. "Then why am I so scared to do that?"

"_Daddy scared?" _Faith asks me inside my head and I realize that I woke her up.

"_Um, yes, I am scared." _I tell her and she snuggles closer, squeezing my finger a little harder.

"_Why are you scared, Daddy?"_

"_Well, it's because Daddy has to do something but isn't sure if I want to."_

"_Is Daddy leaving again?" _she asks and I feel the fear in her mind. Her lower lip starts trembling and I can just see tears at the edges of her eyes.

"Sh, no, Daddy isn't leaving," I whisper as I hold her tiny face to mine and kiss the tip of her button nose. I gently rub my cheek against her head and, though asleep, she reaches up and grabs hold of my bottom lip. "Ump, Faif, I can' talk if you do that."

"_Daddy silly," _she says inside my mind and I see her smile. She sighs but doesn't wake up and I feel her mind drift off as she goes back to sleep. Gently, I remove her fingers then kiss them and look at the room again. The cot has a little mobile connected to it and I still don't understand why humans do that. I mean having spinning animals circling overhead would not put me to sleep. I'd feel like I was some small prey being circled by something that wants to eat me. No wonder babies cry.

"Good thing that yours is little stars and a moon, though it's not the real moon. When you're old enough, I'll take you there and show you where your silly Uncle Jamie near bashed his head against a rock," I tell Faith then softly laugh. The anger comes in a slow wave when I think about what happened to Jamie and that it wasn't an accident. Rassilon ordered that guard to knock the moment Jamie had… "No, stop that, don't think about it."

Faith yawns as I look down at her and kiss the top of her head. I then look at all her stuffed animals and realize that Cam didn't have any when he was a baby. He wasn't really interested in them. He liked books, music and videos. Frankie said that it was because he was more advanced for his age, like his Uncle Cameron.

Don't get me wrong, I love my son and I am so proud of how smart he is, but seeing Faith's face light up when she sees her Elmo or Skipper the penguin stuffies is priceless.

"Just like you and your brother are priceless. I would never sell either of you. Well, maybe, if you get on my nerves," I tease as she thumps her head against my chest and I softly laugh. "See, you're starting to do that already."

No, I'm kidding. But, with this family of mine, having silly kids is a blessing. I wouldn't want them to be the cookie cutter children that I grew up with on my Gallifrey. They were all lifeless, unimaginative automatons. No, our kids were silly, reckless, totally bonkers and a pain in the ass but we love them completely.

"And, truthfully, we wouldn't have it any other way," I whisper while the sun lightens the room some more then I smell something. Faith's face is a slight shade of red and her eyes are closed tightly. That when I roll my eyes because I know that my little princess has just made a doody. "Right, let's get you sorted."

"_I poopy, Daddy," _she tells me and I see just a hint of a smile.

"_Yep, you did, Miss Poopy Butt!" _I tell her then carefully get up and head for the changing table.

So, if you ask me if I'm happy about changing a smelly nappy first thing in the morning instead of being in bed with my amazing wife, I have just one word for you.

Yep!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

Back at Bruce Lee's apartment, his wife Linda cooked all of them some Chinese food and after eating, the children went off to play in Brandon's room while Bruce and the Doctor chatted in the living room. Rain helped Linda clean up the dishes while they talked.

"This is a nice apartment," Rain said to Linda as she dried the dishes for her.

"It is nice but sometimes I miss the states. I didn't really want to come here but we had no choice. Bruce couldn't find any real work in America. Over there they still insist on stereotyping Asians as servants or villains and he couldn't star in anything, not even something he wrote. He wrote a TV show called Kung Fu but instead of giving the lead role to him it went to David Carradine and the reason they gave was that not many people would want to watch Bruce be the hero. What a bunch of bullshit."

Rain nodded in agreement.

"Here in Hong Kong, he's a star and people flock to see his movies. He has all the creative freedom he wants here and he's making lots of money but both he and I miss the states, especially since we'd rather have the children educated there."

"I can understand that," Rain said. "I'm sorry you basically had to move to another country just to find the respect Bruce deserves."

"Well, it is what it is. We can't change people's attitudes, we just have to find a way to work around them," Linda replied. "Do you have the same problem being an interracial couple like us?"

"Well…sometimes…" Rain conceded, "it depends on where we go. Some people are more accepting than others of us. But we have a very supportive family and as long as we have that, we don't care what people think."

"I hear ya, sister. I'm the same way. Bruce loves me and the children love me and the rest of the world be damned as far as I'm concerned," she said as Rain nodded in agreement. "He's really cute too if you don't mind my saying so. You two make a cute couple."

"Thanks. So do you and Bruce."

"Thanks. He's wonderful. He's wonderful with the children. He's a fantastic father to them. Sometimes he worries me though."

"How so?" Rain asked, frowning.

Linda sighed and looked around before leaning in closer to her.

"I get scared sometimes that I'm gonna lose him. I mean, a few years ago he broke his back and almost didn't walk again. He basically willed himself to walk again and in the process perfected his jeet kun do technique but he's made a lot of enemies, people who hate that he teaches to anyone, Asian or otherwise who is willing to learn and I'm afraid someone's gonna do something to him."

Rain kept her face passive. Inside though, her hearts were breaking for Linda. It was 1973, a few months before Bruce would die. Knowing that and knowing what would happen to seven year old Brendan when he grew up tore at her but she knew better than to say anything.

"I'm the same way," Rain said. "I worry about my husband too. He travels a lot and sometimes he takes risks. He was traveling long before he met me but there are times when I worry about him. I suppose it's like being the wife of a policeman."

"Tell me about it," Linda said, finishing up the dishes. "But I wouldn't trade Bruce for anyone else in the world."

"Same for the Doctor," Rain said, drying up the last of the dishes.

Just then, Rain's children along with Brendan and four year old Shannon came into the room. The children were laughing and talking to one another and all of them gathered around the two women.

"Mommy, we're hungry," Brandon said.

"Again? You just ate!" Linda said in shock.

"We're hungry again," Shannon said as the others nodded.

Linda sighed.

"I swear you two are eating machines."

"So are mine. They get it from their father," Rain said.

"I don't know where mine get it from but they're gonna eat us out of house and home eventually. Look, how about if I give you all some apple slices, is that okay?"

They nodded and Linda went to get four apples from the cabinet. She washed them off and cut them into slices, giving each child an equal amount in a paper napkin. Satisfied, the children wandered off while Linda and Rain giggled. They headed into the living room where the Doctor was sitting across from Bruce debating the merits of jeet kun do verses other martial arts. The children gathered around the Doctor while they ate their apple slices and listened to them.

"I agree, my friend," Bruce was saying, "but with jeet kun do, you do not adopt any particular methodology or fighting form so you are free to improvise as needed. In the real world, you can't rely on someone to always follow a certain karate move or a certain kung fu move; people can be unpredictable so you must be unpredictable as well."

"But on the other hand, there are times when you must rely on form, a properly executed move carries just as much power as a free form movement," the Doctor said, playing devil's advocate for the sake of the argument.

"But if you remain a slave to forms, you are doomed to fail," Bruce said.

"Not necessarily. It's true that sometimes you must improvise but practicing forms gives one discipline that one needs in battle and ooo, apple slice."

"Hey!" Chaska said when he snatched one of his apple slices and popped it in his mouth.

"Anyway as I was saying," the Doctor said as Bruce chuckled and Chaska shot his father a look. "There is beauty in martial art forms just as there is beauty in a purloined apple slice nicked from a ticked off son."

He tousled Chaska's hair as Bruce chuckled.

"Your children are beautiful," Bruce said.

"And so are yours. They're a great joy," the Doctor said.

"I agree, my friend. Being a father is one of the greatest joys in life," Bruce said as Brendon and Shannon walked over to him with the triplets.

"Can you show us one of your fighting moves?" Chaska asked him. "Show us what you did to beat daddy."

"How did you beat daddy?" Namid asked. "Cause Daddy is really good at fighting."

"Ah but I've been trying to tell your father that you must be like water," Bruce said.

"What'd ya mean?" Chaska asked.

Bruce smiled.

"You must first empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. So be water, my little friend."

"If we gotta be water, does that mean we gotta pee all over you?" Sokanon asked.

"No Soki, don't under any circumstances, pee on Bruce Lee," the Doctor said while Linda and Rain, who were listening in the kitchen laughed.

Bruce smiled and hugged the triplets. The Doctor beamed when they hugged him back and gave him kisses.

"It's sad to see you go," Bruce said to the Doctor and his family as he, his children and Linda stood in their doorway. "I wish you luck and much blessings, my friend, for you and your family."

"And for you and for your family," the Doctor said.

"I hope we can see you again one day," Linda said. "You're welcome here anytime or at our house back in the states if we ever get back there."

"We'll try," Rain said. "Good luck with the movie."

"Yes, I have a feeling Enter the Dragon will be a great film," the Doctor added.

"I hope so. I've put a lot of effort into it," Bruce said.

Each party bid the other farewell and Bruce, Linda and the children waved goodbye. The Doctor and his family waved back and Bruce and his family stood in their doorway watching them go until they couldn't see them anymore. Then they went back inside their house and closed the door.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

The Doctor and I have been very fortunate in that we've always had support from both friends and family but sometimes even those close to you can end up betraying you. Case in point…my husband had a friend named Ceres who had been one of his closest friends since he was loomed. In fact, my husband and Ceres grew up together. The problem was, Ceres liked me…a lot but he kept his infatuation hidden from the Doctor along with the inevitable jealousy that he had kids with me. This jealousy and infatuation stayed hidden until one summer day shortly after Doc came to live with us…

"I won't be long, Love. Doc and I are gonna pick up some more spare parts for that new radiation converter we're working on. You gonna be okay here?" the Doctor asked as he stood with Rain in the living room.

"Well, yeah, the triplets are six now, I think I can manage by myself. After all, they no longer need to be hand fed or have their diapers changed."

"Ah but you know they are a handful when they want to be. Just wanna make sure I don't come back home to a slobbering drooling idiot because you didn't have enough help."

"Just go, you little maniac," Rain said.

The Doctor kissed her on the lips. He looked over at the staircase.

"Doc? You ready?" he called out.

"Coming, just saying goodbye to the children," Doc called from upstairs.

Doc came down and the Doctor gave Rain one last kiss. He was about to leave when he heard a knock at the front door.

"Go, dear, I'll intercept that," Rain said, waving him on.

"Thanks, Latara. Be back in a mo," the Doctor said as he and Doc hurried to the garage.

Rain waited till she heard the TARDIS's wheezing fading away before she went to the door. She opened it and smiled when she saw Ceres standing there.

"Hello, Rain, is the Doctor here?" he asked.

"Um, no, sorry Ceres, he just left with Doc to go get some parts for a project he's working on."

"Oh. Can I come in and wait for him then?"

"Well, not right now. I need to do a couple of things. Can you come back later though, he'll be back by then I'm sure."

Ceres stared at her intently for a moment and then nodded.

"Okay, I'll be back later," he said to her.

"Sorry about that, but I have things to do and I don't really have time for company," she said.

Ceres nodded but Rain noticed another intense look before he turned and walked away. She was puzzled for a moment about why Ceres would be looking at her like that then decided it was her imagination. She headed towards the kitchen.

"Kids! I'm gonna start baking that pie if you want to help me!" she called up the stairs as she passed.

She heard a thunderous stampede upstairs and sighed.

"Christ, like living with a herd of buffalo," she muttered as she walked towards the kitchen.

The children came downstairs and walked into the kitchen while Rain gathered the ingredients together.

"Is Daddy gonna help us?" Namid asked as she came over to Rain holding Sokanon's hand.

"No, baby, he and Doc went to get some spare parts for a machine they're working on."

"Is Uncle Alan gonna help?" Sokanon asked.

Rain snorted.

"Honey, the only thing he'll help with is eating it," she said.

"Can he come over and help us eat it then?" Chaska asked.

"Well, as long as he doesn't devour the whole thing and leave none for your father, I suppose he can," Rain said.

She smiled and put her finger to her lips as the children listened, she put up a privacy block around Alan's mind and their own. She took a deep breath and thought as loudly as she could…

_RASPBERRY PIE!_

The children giggled when Alan's mind instantly became so alert that Rain swore she could see a big exclamation point in his mind. Then just as loudly, Alan thought back…

_WHERE?_

_The children and I are getting ready to make it from scratch. I'm teaching them how to do it but you're more than welcome to help us eat it as long as you don't snarf down the entire thing._

_Nah, I'll be good for a piece of delicious raspberry pie. However, it may be awhile. I'm helping Rose with the housework and although I'd like to tell her to kiss my arse and run out the door, I doubt she'd let me back in if I did that, but I will be over there, rest assured so have fun and keep a piece warm for me. _

"There," Rain said as she cut off contact with Alan, "Now your Uncle Alan will be over to act silly and play with you. Are you happy now?"

"Yes!" the children said.

"Okay, well, let's get started then before he comes rampaging in here demanding pie," Rain said.

The children helped her gather the ingredients and for the next half hour, they helped her make the dough and the filling. The four of them laughed and talked as they made the pie and they were having so much fun that Rain didn't hear someone at the door until they knocked loudly. She glanced back at the door and sighed.

"There he is," she said. "Hopefully your uncle will stay out of the way while we finish up. Stay here and don't touch anything until I get back, alright?"

"Okay, Mummy," the children said in unison.

Rain wiped her hands on a dish towel and walked into the living room. She answered the door expecting to see Alan there drooling but instead she was surprised to see Ceres standing there. The wind blew his strawberry blonde hair around and his green eyes sparkled as he smiled warmly at Rain.

"Sorry, Ceres, he's not back yet," Rain said.

"Well, do you mind if I come in and wait? I need to speak with him as soon as possible," Ceres said.

"Um…okay, but the children and I are making a pie so if you wanna make yourself at home in the living room, I'll get you some tea."

"Thank you, Rain," Ceres said, stepping inside the house.

Rain shut the door behind him and glanced at him. Unlike her husband, Ceres was tall with a muscular build. He was wearing black shorts with a thin navy blue t-shirt that clung to his chest. The heat of the day had made him sweat and the sweat glistened on his forehead and muscular forearms. As Rain turned to go back to the kitchen, Ceres stared at her backside. She had on white shorts and a t-shirt and her long black hair was pulled back and tied in a ponytail that reached down to the middle of her back. Ceres felt himself getting hard and he was glad her back was turned.

He had always been jealous of the Doctor, not only because he had Rain but because most everyone on the planet loved and revered him. He had been his friend for years until he realized that the man cast a very long shadow and he was constantly standing in it. Everywhere they went people wanted to speak to the Doctor and completely ignored him. Ceres couldn't understand what the fuss was about. The Doctor did great things but he was still a man and not much of a man at that. He always wondered how someone so thin and scrawny was able to hold his own against bigger, stronger foes. While Rain went back into the kitchen, he wandered towards the sofa and stopped to stare at some photos on the table beside them. Jealousy seized his mind when he saw a photo of the Doctor smiling broadly while he had his arm around Rain who was sitting next to him. For years, he had held his tongue and bit back his jealousy but he couldn't stand it any longer. He had wondered for years if he had a chance with Rain but hadn't mustered up the courage to ask her until now. Squaring his shoulders, he went past the sofa into the kitchen.

When he reached the door, he saw Rain making him some tea while the triplets sat at the table. Namid was stirring the raspberry filling while Sokanon rolled out the dough with a rolling pin. Chaska was sitting quietly watching them. He looked at Ceres.

"Hello, we're making a pie," he said to him.

Rain glanced over her shoulder.

"Oh, there's no need to come in here I was gonna bring the tea out to you, Ceres," she said to him.

"I need to speak with you, Rain," Ceres said.

"Oh? What about?" Rain said as she walked over to the refrigerator to fetch the milk.

Ceres glanced at the children. Namid was busy stirring but Sokanon and Chaska were watching him intently. He suddenly wondered if he should ask Rain to make the children go someplace while he did this.

"Ceres?"

Ceres snapped his head over to Rain. She was standing beside the open refrigerator door, milk in hand.

"Are you okay?" she said, closing the door. "Is everything alright?"

"I just need to talk to you," Ceres said as she poured some milk in his tea.

"I thought you needed to talk to the Doctor," Rain said, glancing at him while she poured.

"This is more important," Ceres said. "So could you tell the children to go in the other room?"

"I don't think it'll hurt to have them stay here. They're busy helping me make a pie…except for Chas but he was helping," Rain said, gesturing to her son who was now turned in his seat watching Ceres intently. "Now what do you want to talk about?"

"Are you happy?" Ceres asked.

Rain gave him an odd look.

"You mean right now?" she asked.

"I mean overall. Are you happy with your life?"

"Well, yes, I'm very happy. Mi-mi, I think that's enough stirring, you can rest awhile," she said to her daughter. "Why do you ask?"

"Are you happy being with the Doctor?"

Rain gave him another odd look.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am. Why? What's this about?"

"I've heard rumors."

"About what?"

"That the Doctor is unfaithful to you."

Rain froze and glared at him.

"That's not funny, Ceres," she said.

"It's true, I swear."

"Uh-huh, where's your proof?" Rain said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Mummy, what's he mean?" Chaska asked.

"Nothing, baby, it's just a joke and not a very funny one at that," Rain said, glaring at Ceres. "Is this why you need to talk to my husband, to confront him with this stupid rumor? Because I guarantee he'll ask you where you heard it and who said it so you better have a good answer for him."

"I heard it myself down the pub."

Rain snorted.

"So in other words, you heard that my husband was cheating from a bunch of drunks who probably are jealous of him because he gets a lot of praise and recognition from the community at large, yeah, that's a reliable source, Ceres."

"I swear to you it's true, Rain."

The children flinched when Rain slammed her hand down on the table.

"Damn it, this isn't funny, Ceres. Cut the crap or go home, but I'm not prepared to listen to this bull…crap. My husband wouldn't cheat on me and I wouldn't cheat on him. Now go in the other room and wait for him to come home and take it up with him if you must, the children and I are busy."

She sighed angrily when Ceres started to go in the other room and shook her head, muttering to herself under her breath about Ceres lack of tact. Then suddenly, without warning, Ceres turned, lunged at Rain and seized her arms. Rain gasped as he rammed her back against the counter and the children cried as he rammed his lips down on hers. Chaska hopped down off his chair and smacked his leg hard. Rain gasped when Ceres backhanded him across the face, sending him to the floor. Namid cried, her sightless eyes trying to find where he mother was as Ceres went back to kissing and fondling her. Sokanon hopped down off the chair, grabbed her sister's hand and grabbed Chaska's hand as she ran past him. They ran through the living room and out the front door, crying out for Alan as they ran down the road. At that moment, Alan was rounding the corner with Rose. Sokanon screamed for him and let go of her brother and sister's hands as Alan knelt down to her.

"Soki, what's wrong?" he said when he saw the distress on her face.

"He's hurting Mummy. Help!" Sokanon said frantically.

"Who? Who is?" Alan said.

"Ceres. He's hurting her. We were in the kitchen and he started kissing her and hurting her! He hit Chaska. Help!"

Alan gritted his teeth.

"Rose, take care of them!" he yelled as he took off towards the house.

By now, others were starting to come out of their houses to see what was going on. Rose gathered the children together and reached into her mobile. She dialed the Doctor's number and breathed a sigh of relief when it picked up on the second ring.

"Doctor, it's Rose. You need to come home right now," she said to him.

Meanwhile, Alan ran into the Doctor's house and gritted his teeth when he heard signs of struggle from the kitchen. Balling up his fist, he sprinted towards the door and barreled inside. Ceres had enough time to look around before Alan planted his fist on his jaw. As he staggered back, Alan caught him and rammed him up against the wall, his eyes ablaze. He glanced around and noticed that Rain had a black eye and several bruises on her face and arms. He let out an enraged roar and punched him in the face.

"You bastard!" Alan screamed at him. "I don't know what the fuck's gotten into ya but I guarantee the Doctor's gonna have you arse on a plate when he comes back. And when he's done with ya, I'm next in line! How dare you lay a hand on my sister! I oughta kill you right here, right now!"

"Alan, no!" Rain said, rushing to him before he did something to Ceres who was now shaken and staring at him with wide eyes. "Don't hurt him. I'm alright."

Alan was about to ignore her plea when his ears picked up the sound of the TARDIS materializing in the garage and a twisted smile spread over his face.

"Here comes the Oncoming Storm, mate," Alan said gleefully. "Better have your affairs in order because I have a feeling you won't live to see the next day."

Rain flinched when the garage door banged against the wall.

"RAIN!" the Doctor bellowed. "WHERE IS HE?"

Rain ran out of the kitchen intending to stop the bloodbath. She froze in the corridor when she saw the Doctor and Doc and realized it was a bad idea when she saw them looking at her bruises and black eye with rapidly mounting rage.

"WHERE IS HE?" the Doctor bellowed.

"He's in here, Brother," Alan yelled. "I have him immobilized."

"Good because he's about to become my punching bag!" the Doctor snarled as he stomped towards the kitchen.

"Wait! No, stop!" Rain said, running towards him as he and Doc both made a beeline for the kitchen. "Guys, please, calm down. The children are terrified and this isn't helping, okay? I'm alright; he didn't do anything apart from kiss and fondle me."

"Yeah, well in my book that's going too fucking far," the Doctor yelled. "I thought he was my best mate but I see I was mistaken!"

He took another step and then finally saw how frightened his wife was at his out of control rage and that was enough to calm him down. He put his hand out to stop Doc as he took a deep breath. Doc did the same and Rain breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother, bring him out here," the Doctor said in an angry but calmer voice.

While Alan pulled him out the door, Doc went out the front door and saw Rose trying to calm down the hysterical children. He ran to them and knelt down, gathering Namid into his arms and giving her a reassuring hug before he spoke softly to Chaska and Sokanon who were both crying hysterically. By now, a large majority of their family was nearby and angry after Rose explained what was going on. Rose breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Doc since she had to stop most of the family from going in and throttling Ceres, especially Jack who had murder in his eyes.

Meanwhile, inside the house, the Doctor faced his former friend who was standing before him while Alan held him against him with his arms pinned behind him. The Doctor came towards him, his eyes black with inner rage.

"I don't know what all went on here while I was gone but you are to leave here and never return and if I ever catch you within five hundred feet of my wife, I will rip your entrails out and make you eat them. IS THAT CLEAR?"

Ceres swallowed hard and nodded, too afraid to explain his reasoning behind why he did it. The Doctor breathed hard out his nostrils as his eyes bored into him.

"Get the fuck out of my house this instant," he said in a deadly tone of voice. "And be thankful I don't sue the pants off ya or kill you for this. Now go!"

Alan let go of him and stepped away. They watched while Ceres ran out the door as fast as he could go and once he was gone, the Doctor hugged his wife tightly and kissed her cheek before he and Alan went outside to calm the children down.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

After the situation was calmed down, the children were taken back into the house. While Sokanon and Namid lay down in their beds, Rain checked out Chaska's face in the bathroom since the Doctor was still enraged over what Ceres had done.

"Oh baby, you're gonna have a bruise on your face," Rain said, gingerly touching his face.

"Why did he do that, Mummy?" Chaska asked as she wiped his cheek with a wet cloth.

"I don't know, baby," Rain said sighing. "I don't think he was in his right mind. It's complicated but I want you to know that you and your sisters are safe now. We all are, okay? He's gone now and I want you to take a nap because we have to talk downstairs, alright?"

"Daddy'll be here?" Chaska asked.

"Yes, baby. Daddy and Uncle Alan and Uncle Doc and Uncle Jack and me and Aunt Rose. We're all downstairs and we're guarding you, okay?"

Chaska nodded. Rain kissed his cheek and picked him up. She held him close and he wrapped his arms around her neck while she walked to his bedroom. She laid him down in his bed and tucked him in before going to kiss and tuck in Sokanon and Namid. Once they were tucked in and calmed down, Rain turned off the light and left them. Sokanon watched her go before she raised her head up and she spoke to Chaska in their special language.

_You okay?_ She said in their special language.

_Yes,_ Chaska replied in the special language.

_Why did that man do that?_ Sokanon said in the special language.

_Dunno. But my cheek hurts,_ Chaska replied. _I'm glad Daddy and Uncle Alan came and helped us. _

_Me too, _Namid said in the special language, _I hope he never comes back._

They fell silent when the Doctor appeared in the doorway.

"There you lot go again, talking in that odd language I can't decipher," he said as the children giggled. "You're talking about me again, aren't ya?"

"Yes," they said in unison.

"Thought so," the Doctor said as the children giggled.

He turned on the light and walked over to Chaska's bed. He sat down beside him and touched his cheek, pain in his eyes as he stared at the huge bruise there.

"My son, my little boy," he said before he bent over and kissed it.

"Daddy," Sokanon said as she and Namid slid out of bed. "Don't let the bad person come back."

"Never. I won't let him hurt you again," the Doctor said, holding out his arm.

His daughters walked into it and he hugged them both as he sent love into their minds.

"Listen, we've been talking downstairs and tomorrow I think we should do something, have a day's break and get away from here and relax. Sound good?"

"Yes," they said in unison.

"We were throwing out ideas and we decided perhaps find a nice nature trail and ride our bikes down it, perhaps have a picnic, how about that?"

The three of them nodded and he held them close.

"Daddy, who was that person?" Namid asked.

"A very old and dear friend, at least I thought he was until today. Turns out he was in love with your mum and was keeping it hidden but I s'pose he was tired of waiting for Mummy to notice him so he did something about it. But I told him to go away and never come back and I'll take care of him if he does decide to show up again. But I don't want any of you to worry, the whole neighborhood knows what happened and they'll keep an eye on him from now on and if he comes over here, he'll have me and the entire family breathing down his neck. So please don't worry any longer and try to rest, okay? And in the morning, we'll take a nice bike ride as a family and have some fun."

The children nodded and he hugged them again. He tucked in Chaska and walked the girls back to their beds, kissing them and tucking them in before he bid them goodnight and headed back downstairs. The children talked to each other for a bid in their secret language before all of them finally closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Sokanon woke before her siblings. She got out of bed and headed out of the room. She heard water running in the bathroom next to her parent's bathroom and smiled figuring her father was washing his face. She heard a soft tapping against the sink and amended that thought to shaving his face. She slowly opened the door but it was Alan who was inside shaving his face. He grinned at her.

"Would have been a bit awkward if you'd done that and I was in the altogether in here," he said cheerfully. "But then again, I would have locked the door. How are you this morning, my delight?"

"Fine. Where's Daddy and Mummy?"

"They…are in the TARDIS preparing for our fun day. Which is what I'm doing. I hate going for a bike ride with a five o'clock shadow on my face. I believe Rose and Doc are in the kitchen packing a delicious picnic lunch so you're stuck with me. So where are your brother and sister?"

"Asleep."

"Ah. So you decided to wake up early and get some early morning hugs and kisses from your daddy then?"

"Yes."

"Well," Alan said, finishing up his shaving and turning off the water. "I ain't your daddy but I am a reasonable facsimile if you wish to shower me with hugs and kisses."

Sokanon came to him and Alan bent down to accept her love. He gave her a firm kiss on the cheek before picking her up. He held her with one arm while she wrapped her arms around his neck and with the other he put his razor back in his pocket. Once he was done doing that, he held her firmly against him and walked back into her bedroom. Chaska was still asleep but Namid was climbing out of bed and looking for her cane. Alan walked over to her and laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Huh? Who's that?" Namid said.

"Your lovable uncle come to collect you for the day," Alan said softly.

"Hi, you spend the night with us?"

"Indeedy. I wanted to make sure that certain undesirables stayed far away from the house and what do ya know, they did, which is a good thing for him," he said.

"Uncle Alan?"

Alan looked over at Chaska who was turning on his stomach and looking at him from his bed.

"Yup, I'm here," he said, setting Sokanon down and going to him. "How's the shiner?"

"The what?"

"The bruise on your cheek," Alan said, sitting down beside him. "Still hurt?"

Chaska winced when he touched it and nodded. He help him sit up and Chaska rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Where's Daddy and Mummy?"

"Down in the TARDIS getting our bikes and equipment together," Alan said.

"Where we goin'?" Chaska asked as Sokanon and Namid came up to Alan's side.

"Dunno yet but I'm sure it'll be splentabulous fun for all," he said. "Having said that I'm sure it'll be a warm place so put some shorts and t-shirts on, yeah?"

They nodded and Alan kissed them before he got up and let them get ready. Once they were dressed, they headed downstairs together and saw Christopher sitting on the sofa. He waved at them.

"I was at Gran Jackie's last night but Mummy came and got me this morning so I could go bike riding with ya," he said to them. "Uncle Doctor's got a bike for me. He's in the TARDIS with Aunt Rain. And Mummy and Uncle Jack have this huge picnic basket that we're gonna take with us. I can't wait to go."

While Alan sat down beside his son, the triplets went into the garage and headed for the TARDIS. The TARDIS door was open so they stepped inside. They heard voices coming from beyond the console room.

"Daddy?" Chaska said tentatively as the three of them headed towards the back.

The TARDIS rumbled warmly and moved the room the Doctor, Rain and Doc were in to the back door of the console room. When Chaska called again, the Doctor raised his head and smiled as he came towards them.

"Good morning, my darlings, sleep well?" he asked as he came towards them.

They nodded and smiled when Rain and Doc came over and all three hugged and kissed them.

"We found a nice long trail in Missouri called the Katy trail. Over 250 miles of bike trails that once were an old railroad, goes almost across the middle of the entire state. I figure that'll be long enough for us, eh?"

The three of them nodded and the Doctor led them into the other room where several bikes sat, new and gleaming. The Doctor picked up Namid.

"As for you, my intrepid daughter, you are going to be with Dada Doc on a bicycle built for two. He'll be in front and you can smell his bum all day."

Doc rolled his eyes and grinned when Namid giggled at that.

"Everyone else will have new mountain bikes, rugged and sturdy enough to hold up for one long cleansing bike ride. So…are you lot ready for a day of fun and in Namid's case, bum sniffing?"

"Daddy, be quiet," Namid said giggling as Doc kissed the top of her head.

"No, I don't wanna be quiet. I wanna have a good day and be loud and obnoxious," the Doctor replied. "So how 'bout it? Ready to go?"

"Yes," the three of them said.

"Okey-dokey, let's get everyone in here and get everything together and then it's off to Missouri!"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

The leaves swayed gently in the breeze while the grass moved in the light summer breeze and a lone dragonfly moved over the surface of the water. Suddenly the low wheezing sound filled the air as the TARDIS materialized and the doors opened. Four backpacks flew outside as they landed on the ground and six year old Christopher and David carried the cooler outside, placing it on the ground. Chris was wearing a jean jacket, a blue Spiderman t-shirt, jeans and white converse sneakers and a blue baseball cap was on his head. David was wearing a jean jacket, a red t-shirt with a muscular chest and a six pack stomach muscles, jeans and red converse sneakers and a black baseball cap with HAMLET on the front sat on his head. They picked up the smaller backpacks as they placed the backpacks on their backs and picked the cooler up. A few minutes later Adam walked out of the TARDIS, pushing the sunglasses up with one finger. He was wearing a brown leather jacket, a gray t-shirt with #1 DAD on the front, jeans and white converse sneakers and he scratched the back of his head. Walking to the backpack, he picked it up then placed the backpack on his back and smiled at the boys.

"Right, are we ready?" he asked.

"Where's my daddy?" Christopher asked when Alan walked out of the TARDIS and held the mini camping stove in his hand.

"Oh my…" Adam said as his mouth dropped open and the boys giggled. Wearing a tan khaki shirt, khaki shorts, white socks and brown hiking boots, Alan smiled as he walked closer and the camping stove gently thumped against his hip.

"Crikey!" David said as Chris laughed and Alan arching an eyebrow at him, making them laugh harder.

"This is perfectly acceptable camping gear!" Alan said as Adam walked closer, placing his elbow on Alan's shoulder.

"Yeah, if we were camping in the outback," Adam said then grunted when Alan shoved the camping stove into Adam's stomach, walked to the backpack, picked it up and placed it on his back.

"Now, I have checked the screens and the campground is that way!" Alan said as he walked down the path to their right and Adam looked at the sign post near the TARDIS. He half ran to him when he tapped Alan's back and he turned around, looking at him. "What?"

"The campground is THAT way, Captain Trailblazer," Adam said as Alan nodded and headed down the path, going back to the TARDIS. He walked down the path while the boys half ran after him and Adam looked at the TARDIS' open doors, sighing. Closing and locking the doors, Adam placed the TARDIS key in his pocket when he watched it change into a small pine tree and smiled. Unlike his brother's TARDIS, his chameleon circuit worked and he noticed that it had one purple branch to help him find it later.

The campground was slightly crowded while they walked toward the administration building and walked up the stairs. The screen door screeched as Adam looked at Alan and held up his hand.

"Allow me," he said and Alan frowned.

"Why?" he asked and Adam half smiled.

"Because people are staring at you already," Adam said while Alan looked at the people looking at him and he did a little strut along the small porch. Rolling his eyes, Adam walked inside as the screen door closed behind him and he walked to the small desk. The young woman sitting behind the desk was looking him over as he half smiled at her and stood in front of the desk.

"May I help you?" she asked and he saw SANDY on the small name tag on her shirt.

"Yeah, I'm Adam Storm," he said as she typed on the keyboard and he watched the light sparkling off her auburn hair. She did a little smile when she opened the drawer to her left and pulled out a small envelope, handing it to him.

"Here's your camping pack and your campsite is just down the path to the right," Sandy said as he nodded then headed for the door. The screen door squeaked as he walked outside then saw Alan leaning against the railing and the boys were sitting on the stairs.

"Right, let's go," Adam said as the boys stood up and picked up the cooler. Alan started whistling as he swaggered down the stairs and adjusted the straps of the backpack. Adam opened the envelope as he looked at the map then at Alan, placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled, making Alan turn around and look at him. "It's THAT way!"

"I knew that!" Alan said as he headed the other way and the boys looked up at Adam.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this," Adam sighed as they went to catch up with Alan and Alan softly whistled the Indiana Jones theme.

The campsite that they had reserved was surrounded by trees and small bushes and a fire circle sat at the center of the campground. A portable potty stood at the far end of the campground and a tiny table for the portable stove was sitting near a small pump.

"Now this is what I call a campsite," Alan said as he removed the backpack and placed it on the ground. Kneeling down, he opened the backpack when he took out a small box and looked around. Standing up, he walked a few paces then placed the box down on the ground and pushed the button on the top of the box. A soft humming sound filled the air while the box shook then moved and a tent rose out of the box. The stakes pushed themselves into the ground while the tent set itself up and Adam walked closer, smiling.

"Ok, I admit it. Buying that was a good idea," he said as Alan smirked and opened the tent flap. The inside of the tent was large enough to fit all four of them and had four small cots, a small heater/ac, four little lanterns and a small trunk for their clothing. Adam walked inside the tent when he removed the backpack then placed it on the bunk to the left and sat down, taking his converse sneakers off.

"Where do we put this?" Christopher asked as the boys came inside the tent and held the cooler between them. Opening the backpack, Adam removed a rope and placed it on the cot. Placing his converse sneakers on, he stood up then picked up the rope and headed out of the tent.

"Come on," Adam said as the boys followed him outside and he headed for the trees. Looking at the trees, he tested the lower branches until he found two strong branches and hummed. "Put the cooler here."

"Hold on," Alan said.

"What's wrong?"

"You're planning to hang our food and water from a tree?"

"Yeah, that's what you're supposed to do."

"But the bears will get into it."

"Not if it's off the ground."

"Yeah, but the bears can climb up the tree, walk across the branch and will knick the food!"

"We're not dealing with Yogi and Boo-Boo, Alan. They're not going to come and steal our pi-ca-nic basket!" Adam said as he did an impression of Yogi Bear and the boys giggled.

"I'm just saying that it's safer if we put the cooler in the tent."

"Fine," Adam said when he handed David the rope and took the cooler in his hands, walking to the tent. Walking inside, he walked to the back of the tent when he placed the cooler down and walked out of the tent. Alan smiled as Adam sighed and the boys looked at them.

"Now what do we do, Daddy?" Christopher asked.

"Let's go for a walk," Alan said as they nodded and headed for the path. As they walked down the path, two large black bears came out of the bushes then sniffed the air and the bears lumbered toward the tent, going inside.

"AH!" Alan shouted when they saw the demolished tent, ripped open backpacks, the camping stove and the table was trashed, the cooler sitting on its side and the scraps of food scattered around the campsite and Adam looked at Alan.

"So, Mister "Let's Leave the Food in the Tent", what do we do now?" he asked and Alan sighed, looking at two very sad boys.

"I'll be right back," Alan said when he ran down the path and the boys looked at Adam.

"Where is my daddy going?" Christopher asked.

"If he was smart, he'd go home," Adam growled as he sat on the log near the fire circle and the boys walked to him, sitting next to him. Smiling, Adam placed his arms around the boys as they placed their heads on his shoulders and he gently hugged them.

"Right, here we go," Alan said when he walked toward them and the sun was starting to go down. He had a backpack on his back and a cooler in his hands and a new cooking stove was sitting on top of the cooler.

"Where did you get that?" Adam said as they stood up and Alan placed the cooler on the ground.

"I went back to the TARDIS, went to the camping store, bought all new stuff and food then came back," Alan said and Christopher ran to him, hugging his legs. "Does that make you happy, Son of Mine?"

"Yep," Christopher said and Alan ruffled the top of Christopher's head. Adam watched as Alan set the tent back up, placed the camping stove on a new table he had taken out of the backpack and walked back to Adam with the cooler in his hands.

"Ok, Ranger Storm, where should I put this," he asked. Adam placed a privacy block up so he didn't hear where Adam wanted him to put the cooler and took the cooler out of his hands. They watched as Adam walked to the trees while Alan followed him with a rope in his hands and Adam found the two branches he found earlier. Placing the cooler down, he took the rope from Alan, tied looped the rope through the handles of the cooler, tied the end of the rope into a tight knot then flicked the rope over the branch and pulled the rope until the cooler was high off the ground. He tied the rope around the other tree then walked away and Alan followed him. "So, how do we get the food down?"

"We just lower it down and take the food out when we need it," Adam said and Alan nodded then noticed that Adam looked angry.

"What's wrong?"

"I just can't see how you traveled across the US and don't know the basics when it comes to camping."

"I do know them," he said and Adam gave him a curt look. "I just forgot."

"You are such a dunce," Adam said as he smiled and shook his head.

"And you are such a Donna," Alan said and Adam's eyes went wide.

"I'm a what?"

"You are such a Donna," Alan said as he walked faster and Adam frowned.

"What does that mean?" he said but Alan didn't answer him and walked faster. "Come on, what does it mean?"

The next morning Adam walked out of the tent when he saw the boys sitting around the fire circle and was eating breakfast of sausages, eggs and ham slices. Walking to the camping stove, he placed some of the eggs, sausages and ham slices onto the plate and walked to the log, sitting next to him. They ate when Adam looked at the tent and blinked.

"Where is your dad?" Adam asked, looking at Christopher.

"He's behind that tree," Christopher said, pointing to the tree behind them. Nodding, Adam held the plate in his hands as he walked to the tree and looked down, looking at the plants around the tree.

"Um, Alan, are you taking a piss or a shite?" he asked, looking at the leaves of the plant.

"I'm taking a shite. Why?" Alan said and a slight smile appeared on Adam's face.

"Are you standing up or squatting down?"

"I'm squatting down. Again, why are you asking?"

"Do you know what you're squatting in?"

"No."

"Um, well, you are squatting in poison ivy," Adam said when he heard a shuffling sound and Alan gasped. "You ok?"

"No, I just fell into it!" Alan said as Adam pressed his lips together and Alan grumbled, coming around the tree and held the quickly dissolving toilet paper in one hand and his jeans in the other hand. He had pulled his briefs up as he looked at Adam and Adam's body was shaking from not being able to laugh. "You say one word and I will hit you so hard that you'll regenerate!" Nodding, Adam turned and walked away and Alan sighed, going back behind the tree.

After Alan returned from the TARDIS, he sat down on the log and Christopher handed him a plate. Alan nodded when he started eating and Christopher sat next to him.

"So, where are they?" Alan asked, looking around and tried to see where Adam and David were.

"They went to the creek to do some fishing," Christopher said when they heard a soft sloshing sound and looked to see David and Adam walking toward them. Both of them were soaking wet as Alan slightly smile and stuffed some sausages into his mouth.

"If you must know, I slipped on a smooth rock and fell into the water," Adam said and Alan nodded.

"I fell in after trying to help him out of the water," David said and they walked to the tent, going inside. Alan shook his head then set up a privacy block and he and Christopher laughed inside their heads.

The starts sparkled in the sky while Adam and Alan sat watching the fire in the fire circle and the flames crackled and popped, sending sparks into the air. The boys were sleeping in the tent and Adam stood up and stretched, his back made soft popping sounds.

"Want some butter with that popcorn?" Alan teased and Adam flipped him off.

"I'm going to bed," Adam yawned then walked to the tent, going inside. Alan stood up when he poured water onto the fire and stirred the ashes until he was sure that the fire was completely out. He walked to the tent when he thought he heard something then quickly looked around, shrugged and went inside the tent. A few hours later, a large skunk scampered out of the bushes when it looked around then headed for the tent and went inside.

The morning was cut with the sounds of screaming while the skunk ran out of the tent and Alan, Adam, Christopher and David came out of the tent. Coughing and blinking their eyes, they looked at each other and Alan sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Right, I have had enough this. Let's go home," he said as they nodded and started to dismantle the camp. A few minutes later a low wheezing sound filled the air as the TARDIS dematerialized and the wheezing sound sounded like the TARDIS was laughing.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five

The Doctor placed a small metal cart onto the back of his back that had four canvas sides that zipped up to provide a space to haul items. They put the picnic basket, a red blanket, some flashlights and a first aid kit on the cart and zipped it up. Once they were done with that, the Doctor took Chaska up to the console room and mentally requested the TARDIS to move the other room away for the moment so he could talk to his son in private. He pulled out his tissue rejuvenator and repaired the bruise on his cheek.

"Did this to your mum last night but I wanted you to rest first before I fixed your cheek," he said to him as the bruise started to go away, leaving behind only pink skin. "I also wanted to tell you how proud I am that you tried to protect your mum."

"I didn't want that guy hurting her."

"I know. I saw your mum's memories and I'm glad you managed to get your licks in before he slapped you. At first I thought he just randomly hit you which made me angry, I had no idea you got him first. Normally I don't condone violence but bravo for the leg slap."

He smiled when Chaska giggled at that.

"So…all ready to have fun?"

"Yes."

"Good. So am I."

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Did…anyone ever hurt you like that man hurt me?"

The Doctor sighed.

"My daddy did when I was growing up," he said. "That's why I never spank you or raise a hand to you and that's why I'm so angry that Ceres did that to you. Getting hit by someone is the last thing I want for you."

He smiled when Chaska hugged him tightly.

"I love you, Daddy."

"Aw, I love you too, little man."

He tousled his hair before he mentally asked the TARDIS to allow them to go back to the other room to retrieve the bikes.

The TARDIS landed at the trailhead just outside a small town named Huntsdale, Missouri. It landed back in the woods so no one would disturb it and after looking around to make sure no one saw them, the Doctor and his family walked their bikes out and over to a rest area along the dirt trail. The Doctor closed the door and finished walking his black mountain bike over. He grunted as the tiny cart caught on the undergrowth and grumbling he forced the little wheels to cooperate until he caught up with everyone else. The rest area consisted of a small yellow cinderblock building that had two restrooms, one on each side of the building. Outside it on a concrete slab were two water fountains. A little metal dog dish was beside it for people who were walking their dogs along the trail. There were three picnic tables nearby and a large wooden billboard that had benches running the length of it on both sides. The billboard had the trail map on it and also maps of the next section of the trail starting from where they were. It also contained information about Huntsdale and points of interest for the eastern and western parts of the trail. The Doctor came up alongside everyone as they studied the maps.

"Rocheport is the next stop if we go west," Rain said to him. "If we go that way, we go alongside the Missouri River for most of the way, plus we'll get to see huge rock cliffs and there's a Lewis and Clark cave with petroglyphs above it."

"Sounds good to me," the Doctor said as he took his black bicycle helmet off his handlebars and put it on.

He heard giggling and looked down at Sokanon.

"What's so funny?" he said.

"You look silly with that on," she said, pointing to the helmet.

"Yeah?" the Doctor said as everyone laughed. "Well, you're about to look just as silly because everyone is wearing this so I wouldn't laugh if I were you."

Everyone grabbed their helmets off their handlebars and put them on while Doc helped Namid with hers. His bike was a black tandem bike with the back end lower than the front so Namid would be able to reach the ground with her feet. Once her helmet was on, Doc helped her onto the back seat and got on the front seat while she gripped her handlebars. Once everyone was ready, they headed off towards Rocheport which was about ten miles away. The day was hot with a little bit of humidity but there was a slight breeze both from the wind and the movement of the bikes so it was tolerable. Chaska and Christopher rode BMX bikes and they quickly moved ahead of everyone else while they talked to each other.

While they rode, the Doctor looked at Namid who was helping Doc to peddle as they rode their bike a few feet in front of them. He grinned and isolated her mind and projected an image of himself into it. Namid giggled when she saw her father coming up alongside her on the left, glaring at her as he beeped his little horn.

"Out of my way, road hog!" he said to her.

"No!" Namid called out.

"Yes!" the Doctor called back.

"Oh Jesus, are you bothering that poor child again with your insane mental delusions?" Jack said as he rode behind him.

In response, the Doctor projected an image of Jack riding into Namid's head. She laughed hysterically when she saw her father ram him hard from the side and send him sailing off the trail into the Missiouri River beside them.

"That's what I think of your comment about my mental delusions!" Mental Doctor said to Mental Jack as he landed in the Missouri with a huge splash.

Namid continued to laugh as he went on with entertaining her. She laughed as she watched him speed up and hit bears, deers, squirrels and birds.

"Die wildlife!" Mental Doctor screamed as he hit his prey and sent them flying skyhigh.

"Daddy, quit killing the animals!" Namid called out.

Rain gave her husband an amused look.

"I'm ramming my bike into the forest creatures for her amusement," he said as the adults laughed. "She can't see with her normal eyes so I have to make up things for her mental eyes to see. Having said that…DIE RACCOON!"

Namid laughed harder as the Doctor flashed his wife a triumphant grin. Doc glanced behind at his daughter and gave her a tender look as she continued to laugh.

"Good job she's not actually in charge of pedaling, mate, she'd have run off the trail into the water by now," Doc said to the Doctor.

"Which is why I'm doing this. I wouldn't be showing her things if she had to concentrate on the road," the Doctor said to him.

They noticed up ahead that Chaska and Christopher had stopped and were talking to one another as they pointed up into the trees on their right sides. The others rode up to them and stopped.

"What's all this then?" Alan asked them.

Chaska pointed when they heard a knocking sound in the trees above them.

"What's that?" Christopher said.

"That is a woodpecker," the Doctor said. "It's making a hole in one of the trees."

"How?" Chaska asked.

The Doctor grinned and projected an image of himself with a huge woodpecker beak. He flapped his arms, landed on a limb of a tree and began to peck at the wood with his bill as everyone laughed.

"That's how," the Doctor said.

"Doesn't that hurt him?" Sokanon asked.

"Nah, its skull is very strong and its beak is designed for that. Doesn't bother him a bit," the Doctor said as the knocking continued.

They laughed when Alan projected an image of himself with the same bill as the Doctor, only this time when he pecked he drilled a huge hole in the tree and pulled Rose out of it with his beak.

"Hey, lookie what I found, a nice juicy worm," Alan said aloud as Rose swatted his arm playfully.

"Speaking of…" the Doctor said as he spied something on a nearby tree.

He got off his bike while everyone watched. He walked off the trail and over to an old tree with a thick, gnarled bark. On the bark was a large green caterpillar that was crawling up the trunk. He put his hand flat in front of it and let the caterpillar climb on before he brought his hand over to the children and showed them. Doc showed Namid what was going on while the others got off their bikes and came over to examine it. They watched while the caterpillar crawled to the side of his hand and went around to the back. The Doctor turned his hand over and they watched it as it started going up his arm. Sokanon reached out to pet it and she frowned when it curled into a ball and lay still.

"Hey, what happened?" Sokanon said as Doc continued to show his daughter what was going on while they stood nearby.

"That…is his defense mechanism. It's what he does when he thinks there's danger. He thinks you're a predator so he curled up and is playing dead in the hope that you'll lose interest and go away," the Doctor said to her.

He grinned and projected an image into Namid's head of him raising his other hand and slamming it down on his arm, smashing the caterpillar while he screamed, "YOU CAN'T FOOL ME THOUGH, DIE CATERPILLAR!"

"Will you quit doing that. She's gonna pee all over the trail before we reach Rocheport," Rain said to him while Namid bent over laughing.

"Sorry, dear, couldn't resist," the Doctor said.

They waited a moment and then watched as the caterpillar uncurled itself and continued up the Doctor's arm.

"See, now since nothing's happened for a few minutes, he thinks you've gone away and it's safe," the Doctor explained. "Or…is it?"

The children laughed when he raised his hand and pretended to squash the caterpillar.

"You have a bloodlust today, dontcha?" Rose said.

"Nah, just making the children laugh," he said to her.

He touched the caterpillar and when it curled up; he gently picked it up and placed it at the base of the tree. Then he beckoned to the children and everyone got back on their bikes and continued on.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty Six

"And where do you think you're going?' Frankie asked while Duer slid Faith into the baby sling and placed the strap of the of the diaper bag over his shoulder.

"I am taking my daughter out for a walk, if that's alright with you," he said with a smug tone in his voice and Frankie kissed his cheek.

"Just as long as you don't going showing her off to everyone you meet. You did that with Cam, remember?"

"Can I help it if I have beautiful children?" he asked then head out the door and closed the door behind him. Walking down the pavement, he looked down at Faith and she was sleeping peacefully against his chest. She was wearing a light blue infant t-shirt and jeans and wisps of dark brown hair had started growing on the top of her head. "Yep, you are defiantly beautiful."

Walking onward, he walked by the Doctor's house when the Doctor walked toward him and had Hope in a baby sling and a diaper bag hung from his shoulder.

"Well, where are you going?" he asked as Duer smiled and peeked in at Hope, who was sleeping.

"Oh, just taking my beautiful daughter out for a walk."

"Ah, mind if I join you?" he asked and Duer nodded his head. They headed down the pavement when they headed for the park and they walked down the path while the silver leaves sparkled in the sunlight.

"It's still amazing that you had those saplings in your TARDIS so we can have these here on New Gallifrey."

"Didn't you have any?"

"Yep, but I lost them when I lost my original TARDIS," Duer sighed and the Doctor looked at him.

"Will you stop it," he said and Duer looked at him with a confused look on his face.

"Stop what?" he asked.

"Will you stop dwelling on the past. You're worse than Amato."

"Yeah, I guess I have a lot of things that keep cropping up."

"Like I don't?" the Doctor asked and Duer half smiled.

"But how do you let it all go?"

"I don't. I just bury it away in my head."

"But that's not a good idea. Things like that tend to pop up when you least expect it."

"That's when I have a long talk with Rain. That woman of mine is a great listener. One of the reasons I married her," the Doctor said with a smile and Duer laughed.

"Frankie is the same but I still get so mad when I think about things."

"Ah, well, when I get that way, I just go to the gym in my TARDIS and beat the crap out of the punching bag."

"Does that help?"

"Yep," the Doctor said then sat down on a bench and placed the diaper bag on the ground. Sitting next to him and placing the diaper bag on the ground, Duer looked at Faith and smiled. "So, is she getting any hair yet?"

"Yeah, she might need a haircut soon," Duer said when Faith blinked her eyes open and looked up at him. Carefully, he lifted her out of the baby sling and held her up, moving her face closer to his and she smiled. The Doctor watched as Duer moved her back then moved her toward his face and she wiggled her fingers, trying to grab his face. Duer was smiling as he rubbed the tip of his nose against hers and Faith giggled. Duer sat her on his lap as she leaned the back of her head against his chest and he looked at the Doctor. "What?"

"Just noticing the difference between how you were just a few seconds ago and now," the Doctor said and Duer frowned.

"I don't understand."

"You shifted from a gloomy doomie to a happy chappie in a flash."

"Well, that's because I'm with my little girl," Duer said and stroked the top of Faith's head.

"Then you change back when you're not with her, right?"

"Um, yeah, I guess you can say that."

"Was it the same with Cam?"

"Um," Duer said then thought for a few seconds and nodded. "Yeah, it was the same with Cam. Blimey, am I manic depressive or something?"

"No, what you are is what I was a long time ago. See, you had a grown up daughter when we lived on New Hope and didn't have children in your lives until Jenna and Jamie adopted Angus, Ian, Robert, Conner, Victoria and Frazer. Also, it wasn't until we came here that you started having children of your own. Suddenly you had responsibilities you didn't have since you lived on your Gallifrey. That is why you were so over protective of Cam."

"True, I was," Duer said, nodding his head.

"I wasn't sure if I could do the whole Daddy thing again either. It wasn't until I met Dorothy that I let myself feel like one again. Then I adopted Tara and had the triplets."

"And you were surrounded by children all the time while I was…" Duer sighed and the Doctor patted Duer's shoulder.

"I can't begin to think what it was like to catch only tiny snatches of time with Adam and his family."

"It was terrible. There were times I wanted to open the rift so we could see each other all the time and didn't care if the worlds blew up."

"Ah, I think we found another problem," the Doctor said and Duer frowned. "YOU have abandonment issues!"

"Hm, I never thought of that," Duer said while Faith placed his left index finger in her mouth and sucked on it. "Ah, help, my beautiful daughter is trying to eat my finger! Maybe she's hungry!"

"I think so," the Doctor said then looked down and saw that Hope was awake and sucking on his finger. "And it looks like mine's hungry, too." Carefully, he lifted Hope out or the baby sling and sat her on his lap. Reaching into the diaper bags, they took the bottles out then started feeding their daughters and Duer smiled down at Faith.

"Um, I think I have martyr issues as well," Duer said and the Doctor looked at him. "See, when we were in exile, I thought I had messed everything up and was going to be the only one still in exile. The thing was, I didn't care. As long as you and Amato were free, I would gladly be the one that wasn't."

"Bugger, you and Rain need to go into therapy. She's always being a martyr when things go wrong," the Doctor said and Duer softly laughed.

"Yeah, she does."

"I think she needs to prove to me that she's worth being with me but that it a load of rubbish. Then again, she had really low self esteem when we first met. It took a long time for her to realize that she was brilliant and she is!"

"Yep, she is. Frankie was the same way."

"She had low self esteem?"

"Yep, see, her father was always putting her down and telling her she was nothing. He also did that with Cameron, too, and he's a genius. I guess that's one of the reasons they both ran away."

"I never knew that."

"Yeah, then there's Adam and what happened with his Jackie and Pete."

"They really gave him a raw deal," the Doctor said and Duer nodded. Faith and Hope finished the bottles as the Doctor and Duer burped them and the Doctor rocked Hope in his arms. "The one thing you have to remember, Brother, is all that is in the past and this is the future."

"Yep," Duer said as he kissed the top of Faith's head and she giggled. "I still need to talk to my mother about a few things though."

"Yeah, I still need to talk to my mother as well."

"What we need is to have a mother/son day with them and get things cleared up."

"I hear you," the Doctor said then sat Hope against his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

"But not today," Duer sighed and placed his arms around Faith. "Today, I just want to sit here with my best friend and our daughters and enjoy the day."

"I'm your best friend?" the Doctor asked.

"Didn't you know that?" Duer asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"No, I thought that was Koschei. The two of you seemed to bond while we were on that trip across the US."

"Um, yeah, we did, but I like hanging out with you more," Duer said and the Doctor smiled.

"What about Adam? Isn't he your best friend, too?"

"Yeah, he was until he hooked up with Alan. Though, truth be told, those two deserve each other."

"Oh come on, Adam isn't as bad as Alan."

"No offense, but no one is as bad as Alan!" Duer said and they laughed. "Anyway, like it or not, you're my best friend and I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"Right back at you, Brother," the Doctor said as they smiled at each other and watched the people walking by.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Seven

"Hang on. I'm coming," Rain said as she headed for the front door and opened it. Rose and Marion stood on the porch as Rose growled and Rain felt the anger coming from her. Standing back, she let Rain and Marion come inside then closed the door and Rose walked to the couch, sitting down hard on it. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know about Rose but I need to borrow your copy of Cars. Ours is all worn out," Marion said with a smiled and Rain nodded, walking to the entertainment center. She looked through the dvds when she found the right one and walked to Marion, handing the dvd to her.

"And what is wrong with you?" Rain asked and Rose sighed, folding her arms over her chest.

"I knew it was a mistake," Rose said as Rain and Marion to the couch and sat down.

"What was?" Rain asked, getting concerned.

"I swear, if he rings that bell one more time…" Rose said as they looked at each other then smiled and Rose sighed.

(Two days ago)

"Good morning, Wife of mine!" Alan said as he bounced into the kitchen and kissed Rose's cheek.

"What has gotten into you this morning?" she asked as she scooped the eggs into the plate and he placed his arms around her waist.

"Can't I snuggle without an ulterior motive?" he asked as she turned around and he stuck his lower lip out as he pouted. Sticking her tongue between her teeth, she nodded as he poked her tongue back into her mouth and rolled his eyes. "That tongue of yours is trying to get out again."

"It has a mind of its own," she teased when he kissed her and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They kissed when their four year old son, Christopher, walked into the kitchen and his brown hair was sticking up on the top of his head. He was wearing Spiderman pajamas and he walked to Rose, gently tugging on her shirt. Rose gently pushed Alan away as she looked down at Christopher and he pouted, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Are you ok, Love?"

"No," Christopher said with a slight growl to his voice and Rose knelt down, placing her hand on his forehead.

"You feel really warm," she said as she gently cupped his face in her hands and Alan ran to the cupboard above the sink and opened the door, talking out the ear thermometer.

"Here," he said when he walked to Rose and she took Christopher's temperature. The ear thermometer beeped as she looked at the tiny screen and brushed the hair out of Christopher's eyes.

"Oh, you have a fever," Rose said when Alan picked Chris up and kissed the top of his head.

"Looks like it's the sofa and tea for you," he said as he walked out of the kitchen and headed for the couch. Setting Chris on the couch, he walked to the hall closet when he opened the door and took the pillow and duvet off the shelf. Walking back to the couch, he slid the pillow under Chris' head then covered him with the duvet and knelt on the floor, looking at him. "So, do you need the bucket?"

"No," Chris said in a raspy tone and Alan nodded, standing up. His hearts hurt because he hated it when Chris got sick, which wasn't often, and sighed, walking to the kitchen. He saw Rose hanging up the receiver as he walked closer and leaned against the kitchen island.

"I called Martha and she said she'll be here in a few minutes," Rose said as he nodded and she walked to him, hugging him.

"She'll get him sorted," Alan said when he kissed the top of her head and she looked up at him.

"You ok? You've never been good when the girls got sick."

"That's just it. They shouldn't get sick. They're Time Children. We have a better immunity system then a human."

"Kids get sick."

"Yeah, they do. Guess I'm just an old worry wart," Alan said with a small smile and she gently whacked his chest.

"I remember when Angel first got the flu. You thought she was dying the way you carried on."

"She was just a tiny baby and was making these weird gasping sounds."

"That was because her nose was all clogged up."

"And you wanted to use that thing that was going to suck her brains out! Blimey, you stuck it up her nose and, slurp, her brains were gone. I'm amazed that she isn't sitting somewhere, drooling and talking rubbish!"

"You are a loony!" she teased when someone knocked on the front door and she let go of Alan, walking to the front door. Rose opened the front door as she smiled at Martha and Martha smiled back.

"It's not ten o'clock and I've had two patients," she said as she walked by Rose and Rose closed the door, looking at her.

"Who was the other patient?" Rose asked as Martha placed her medical bag on the coffee table and knelt down next to the couch.

"Marion called me this morning to come and see David. Poor little guy woke up with a really sore throat and couldn't swallow," Martha said as she looked at Chris and he looked miserable. "Is that how you feel?"

'Yeah," Chris said as Alan stood behind the couch and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Ah, so that's what happened! Adam's little germ spreader gave my son the plague!" Alan said and Martha laughed, rolling her eyes.

"It's not the plague!" Martha said and Chris sadly smiled.

"Well, whatever it is, it is Adam's fault!"

"No, it isn't," Rose said when she walked to Alan and swatted his arm.

"Ow," Alan said as he rubbed his arm and Martha examined Chris. He didn't want to open his mouth as she sighed and Alan walked to Martha, kneeling on the floor next to her. "Come on, Mate, it's ok. Martha just wants a little look see at your throat."

"No," Chris whispered, shaking his head.

"David wouldn't let me either until Adam let me look at his throat. After I was done, I looked at David's throat and he told me that the tongue depressor tasted yucky. So, would you like it if I looked at Daddy's throat first?" Martha asked and Chris nodded. Shrugging, Alan turned to Martha when he opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out. Martha examined Alan's throat then Chris' throat when she frowned and Rose looked at her. "Hm, it looks like it's the same thing that David has."

"What did David have?" Rose asked.

"He had a really bad case of tonsillitis. Marion and Adam are taking him to the hospital and I think he might have a roommate," Martha said as she ruffled Chris' hair and he half smiled at her. "But I don't think they'll let Alan stay with them."

"What are you on about?" Alan asked as they stood up and Martha shook placed the equipment back into her medical bag.

"Does your throat hurt?" she asked as he gently rubbed it and sighed.

"Yeah, a little bit."

"You need your tonsils out, too," she said and his eyes went wide.

"What?" he said as Chris reached up and touched his hand.

"Daddy, I don't want my tonsils out," he said and Alan saw the tears in his eyes.

"Neither do I," Alan said then looked at Martha. "Can't you just give him something until it gets better?"

"I could but they'll just keep getting worse. It would be better if he had them out. It's a really simple operation and he'll get ice cream when it's all over."

"Wait, are you saying that the reward for getting your tonsils out is ice cream?" Alan asked and both Alan and Chris' eyes went wide.

"I knew that would convince you. So, are you two going to do this?" she asked and both of them nodded their heads. "Then I'll see you at the hospital."

Rose opened the door as Martha left then Rose turned and looked at Alan, who was sitting on the couch and was holding their slightly frightened son in his lap. Sadly smiling, she went upstairs to pack two overnight bags and, after she was finished, they left for the hospital.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty Eight

The little group continued down the dirt trail. They were passing alongside the Missouri River on their left sides and fifty foot rock walls on their right. Occasionally they would pass through a dense patch of trees that obscured the sunlight temporarily but for the most part they were out on the open road and the sun beat down on them as they pedaled along. While they rode, several people passed them from behind. One group of ladies caught sight of Jack as they rode past. Jack grinned and waved when they did a double take and gave him appreciative looks. Then they caught up with Alan and did the same as Alan smiled and gave them a salute. The women did double takes when they saw the Doctor and Doc as they rode beside each other and chatted.

"Wow, there are a lot of cute guys in this group," one brunette woman said to her companions as they passed the Doctor and Doc.

"And sadly, only one of those cute guys is available at the moment," the Doctor said when they were out of earshot.

"I'm the cutest!" Alan yelled out.

Doc glanced back at him.

"How'd he reckon that one out?" he said to the Doctor.

"His enormous ego told him so," the Doctor replied.

Up ahead of them, the women were riding and chatting while Sokanon rode with them and Christopher and Chaska were riding as fast as they could ahead of the pack. The Doctor raised his eyebrow when he noticed they were too far ahead for his liking. He mentally told his son to slow down and heard Chaska tell Christopher that he wanted them to slow down. Both boys stopped their bikes and looked at the Missouri River while they waited. Then he saw them dismount and walk their bikes over to the right while Chaska pointed at something ahead of him. By the time the rest of the group caught up, both boys were staring at a large opening in a forty foot rock wall. Everyone else stopped and stared at it. It was the opening to a cave and inside they could hear rushing water. Across the way was a large wooden sign, one of many along the trail that gave out information about the history of the place or local sights. Jack walked over to it.

"Oh!" he said after quickly scanning through it. "This is that Lewis and Clark cave and according to this, the Indian petroglyphs are above it and to the left of the cave opening."

The adults looked up and studied the cliff face trying to find them.

"What are petroglyphs?" Christopher asked his father.

"They're pictures that people have carved or painted on rock walls. So look up and see if you can find a picture of some sort," Alan said to them.

The boys and Sokanon looked up and tried to find any pictures while the adults frowned and scanned the rock wall.

"Where? I don't see anything," Rose said, shrugging.

Jack who was farther back suddenly pointed up.

"I see it!" he said.

They stared at him before they all walked to his side and looked where he was pointing. They finally saw a faint picture painted in red ocher about halfway up the cliff face. The bottom part of the picture resembled the Nike swoosh with a red dot up above it. Beside it was the remains of another picture but the cliff had eroded and most of the pieces had fallen away leaving the one pictograph intact. They stared at the picture.

"What's it mean?" Christopher asked his father.

"Guess is as good as mine," Alan said. "Just a clever design someone came up with?"

"Oh come now, Brother, surely you recognize ancient high Gallifreyan when you see it," the Doctor said.

Alan and Doc stared at him.

"That's ancient high Gallifreyan?" Rain asked, pointing up to it.

"Yup," the Doctor said.

"How you know, Daddy?" Sokanon asked.

He grinned.

"Cause I wrote that," he said.

Everyone giggled as Rain gave him a yeah, right look.

"Right, dear, that's your handiwork there," she said, pointing to it.

"It is. Oh, I did neglect to mention I was with Lewis and Clark on their expedition and when we got to this spot, I climbed up there and put that there."

"What's it say, Daddy?" Chaska asked.

"Says, piss off," the Doctor said as Alan and Doc laughed. "I was in a surly mood that day and wanted the world to know that I wished to be left alone."

"No, you didn't, Daddy. You didn't put that there," Sokanon said, giggling.

"I most certainly did. That's my handwriting," he said, pointing up to the petroglyph. "So nah!"

"Who are Lewis and Clark?" Namid asked.

"They were two explorers who explored the western half of the United States in 1803 after Napoleon sold this territory to Thomas Jefferson. They went all the way to the Pacific with Sacajawea, her kid and her French trapper husband. They mapped this place and that encouraged people to come and settle here. I came along to offer my invaluable expertise. "

"What happened, Daddy?" Chaska asked.

"Well, naturally I was brilliant but that Sacajawea…she just kept dumping her kid on me and wanting me to babysit the brat while she went off to snog her French husband. So there I was with a papoose on my back while Sacajawea was off putting her tongue down people's throats. Then of course, there were all the hostile Indians along the way. People say that Lewis and Clark encountered only peaceful tribes but that's a lie. I remember the day I had to single handedly fight the Wimpwonk tribe and their leader Mantua and his army of brainwashed grizzly bears with rocket launchers on their backs. There I was with a papoose on my back dodging missles while Sacajawea snogged and Lewis and Clark looked at maps. No wonder I wrote piss off up there at the end of the day."

"No, you didn't," Namid said to him while everyone laughed.

"I did too. Why doesn't anyone believe me? I risked my life fighting off the hoards of brainwashed rocket launcher grizzlies so Lewis and Clark could explore the country. I shoulda been given a medal just for that and a second medal for lugging around Sacajawea's brat on my back."

"You did not," Namid said, giggling.

The Doctor let out a sigh and looked at Rain.

"Kids, they just won't believe a word I say," he said to her.

"That's funny cause I don't believe it either. Especially this Wimpwonk tribe…why have I never heard of the Wimpwonk tribe before?"

"Probably because I obliterated them off the face of planet Earth," the Doctor said. "That and there were only two people in the whole tribe, Mantua and his daft brother FroFro. I beat them easily."

"I'm bored with Daddy's lies, I'm gonna explore the cave," Chaska said as everyone laughed.

Alan bounced down the short grassy hill in front of the cave and ran past him. He pointed to a small sign beside the cave as Chaska and Christopher walked up to him.

"Sorry, according to this sign, this is private property and we're not to enter because there are rare and endangered bats in here that the owner wants us to leave alone," he said as he pointed to the sign.

"So?" Chaska said, pushing past him.

"So…" Alan said, grabbing him as everyone laughed, "that means you don't go in there."

"Never stopped Daddy before," Chaska said.

"Yes, well, you're not your daddy and I forbid you from going in…because I'm going in first. Excuuuuuse me!"

"Oh, no you don't, me first!" the Doctor said, leaping down the hill towards him.

Chaska and Christopher came up beside them as the brothers stood at the entrance peering into the darkness while they listened.

"Sonic screwdriver?" Alan said to the Doctor. "See if we can wake up the bats?"

"If you do, warn us so we can get out of the way of the swarm," Rain said as she and the others stood on the trail and watched them.

"Do it, Daddy," Chaska said, tugging on his trouser leg. "I dare ya."

"Ought oh," the Doctor said to Alan, "I've been dared to do something. Should I resist?"

"Ummm, dunno, it sounds like there's water in there. Is it worth fording a river to disturb the bats?"

"Depends on how rare the bats are."

"Right, dear, like you would go in and harm bats," Rain said.

"What are you talking about? I've been harming forest creatures all day, haven't I, Mi-mi?" he asked her while she giggled and nodded. "But we better not, I'd rather not fall in the water and get guano on my head, might make me want to climb back up this cliff and put another rude expletive up there. So if everyone's ready, let's get going so we can get to Rocheport within the hour."

The others agreed with him and the Doctor and Alan put their hands on their son's shoulders as they walked back up the hill towards their bikes.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty Nine

A half hour later, they reached Rocheport and the next trailhead. This one was laid out much the same as the last one with the restrooms, drinking fountain, billboard and benches and picnic tables. It was here that they decided to rest and eat. The Doctor unzipped the canvas covering the picnic basket and the blanket and Rose and Rain took the blanket and spread it out under a nearby tree. Beyond the billboard there was a large field and in the distance was a white farmhouse with a red barn and silo. Jack studied the billboard and the maps while the Doctor brought the picnic basket over to the blanket.

"The next town is New Franklin about another ten miles away," Jack called to them. "Do we wanna go on?"

"We shouldn't go too far, we have to turn around and go back for the TARDIS," Rain said as the Doctor passed out turkey and chicken sandwiches to the children.

"I have my Stattenheim_remote control with me. It'll call the TARDIS back to us, so going on isn't an issue unless you lot wanna turn back now," the Doctor said. _

_"I wanna go on, Daddy, this is fun," Sokanon said as the Doctor put a turkey sandwich on her paper plate._

_"I don't mind going on, I also think this is fun," Rose said as she put some crisps on her plate. _

_The Doctor asked everyone else and nodded when everyone agreed to go on. _

_"Brilliant, we'll go after we eat and have a bit of a rest then."_

_"According to this billboard," Jack said as he came over to them. "The next bit of the trail has a railroad tunnel on it, the only tunnel on the whole trail."_

_"Cool!" Christopher said. _

_"There really used to be a railway that went through here?" Chaska asked as he ate his turkey sandwich._

_"Yup, that was another danger. Chief Mantua tied me to the rails and was gonna let the steam engine run me down until Lewis freed me with his bowie knife."_

_"He did not, Daddy," Chaska said as everyone laughed. _

_They ate and chatted while they sat in the shade of the tree. After they finished and cleaned up their mess, Chaska and Christopher went and played catch with a little baseball while Namid and Sokanon stretched out beside their mother and talked to each other while Rain chatted with Rose. Jack and Doc explored the immediate surroundings while the Doctor and Alan strolled through the field together._

_"Still can't believe Ceres did that to me," the Doctor said to Alan as they walked. _

_"I can."_

_The Doctor looked at him and he shrugged._

_"Mate, you do realize how many times through the years you've heard people comment on how beautiful Rain is?"_

_"Yeah, but he was one of my best mates."_

_"And? He was also a man."_

_"And there's another version of Rain in our family. Moreover, she's single. So why not go court her instead of trying to rape my life mate?"_

_"Forbidden fruit?" Alan said, shrugging. "Wanting what he can't have. To be honest, the man always seemed a bit off but I didn't say anything since he was your friend and you never commented on any of my friendships."_

_"Well, thank you for coming to her rescue."_

_"Well, I just happened to be on my way there to get a piece of pie so thank Rain for inviting me so the children didn't have to run all the way to my house."_

_The Doctor sighed angrily through his nose._

_"Bad enough he tried to rape Rain but he scared my children and struck my son. I have half a mind to go and throw him in a supernova just for that."_

_"Don't think like that, Brother. Let it go. I'm sure the bastard knows better than to come round now since the moment he does the Oncoming Storm'll be unleashed. He's ancient history, let him alone and concentrate on the here and now and…ooo, a ball, mine now," Alan said as he quickly bent over and grabbed Chaska's ball when it rolled near his foot._

_"Hey, give that back!" Chaska said as the brothers snickered. _

_"Ah! Finders, keepers. It rolled near my foot and that's my personal space so now it's mine," he said, holding his arm up above his head so Chaska couldn't get his ball._

_The Doctor grinned and plucked it from his hand._

_"Hey!" Alan said as he gave his son his ball. "That's torn it. Prepare to meet thy doom, geezer!"_

_The children laughed when he got the Doctor in a headlock. The Doctor wriggled out of it and grabbed him. The boys laughed harder when the two of them fell to the ground and began to wrestle each other. Rain and Rose laughed as they rolled around on the ground play fighting with each other while Chaska and Christopher cheered them on._

_"What's going on?" Namid asked, raising up beside her mother and looking over in their direction. _

_"Oh, your daddy and uncle are being silly and roughhousing with each other," Rain said to her._

_"Come on, Mi-mi," Sokanon said, standing up. "Let's go help Daddy."_

_Namid stood up and grabbed her sister's hand as they ran to help out the Doctor who was being pinned to the ground by Alan. Rain and Rose laughed as they and the two boys dog piled Alan._

_"HEY!" Alan yelled as the children began to tickle his body. "Get off me, you reprobates. This is between me and Fartblossom here."_

_"Help me, children, save me!" the Doctor yelled as Jack and Doc roared with laughter and walked over towards them. _

_Alan halfheartedly batted at the children as they laid on him and tickled him. The Doctor's eyes bulged when Jack came up to his head and stared down at him._

_"Oh crud, Jack's here and I'm pinned down in a compromising position."_

_"Oh, shut up, Doc," Jack said as everyone laughed. _

_The children slid off Alan. He got up, grabbed the Doctor's outstretched arm and pulled him up. _

_"Is everyone ready to go then?" he asked._

_They nodded and started packing up everything. While they did, Namid tugged at the Doctor's trouser leg._

_"Yes, Mi-mi?"_

_"You okay, Daddy? Uncle Alan didn't hurt you, did he?"_

_The Doctor's hearts melted at that and he ruffled her hair._

_"Nah, take more than Uncle Alan to damage me," he said as they walked towards the tree. "Are you having fun?"_

_"Yes. I like bicycling with Dada. Are we spending the night here?" she asked him._

_"Um, I wasn't planning on it."_

_"Can you if you want to?"_

_"Well, I think camping's aloud but I don't know if everyone will want to spend the night out here," the Doctor said to her._

_"I think we should. We could make up scary stories and watch for ghosts," Namid said._

_She giggled when he picked her up and swung her legs out._

_"And if there are ghosts about, will you protect me from them?" he asked as he held her close to him._

_"Yes, Daddy. I'll chase the nasty ghosts away from you," Namid said, putting her arms around his neck. _

_The Doctor's hearts warmed at that and he sent love into her mind._

_"Let's see what the day brings first, my rainbow, before we decide if we should spend the night, yeah?"_

_"Okay, Daddy."_

_The Doctor rubbed her back before he put her down. He took her hand and led her back to the bikes as everyone else finished packing up and getting ready to leave. _


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

New Gallifrey Hospital

"Ok, here we go," Adam said when he slid his four year son, David, under the blankets and David pouted, folding his arms over his chest. David was wearing Sponge Bob pajamas and Adam placed his teddy bear, Mister Bearlington, under the blankets. Marion had gone to the gift shop to get David some coloring books and crayons and David sighed, looking at the window.

"I want to go home," David said with a growling tone to his voice. Adam sighed when he sat on the bed and David snuggled closer, placing his head against Adam's arm. Adam understood his son's reluctance about being in the hospital and kissed the top of David's head. "I'm scared."

"Yeah, I was scared the first time I had to go to the hospital," Adam sighed and David looked up at him.

"When were you in the hospital, Daddy?"

"It was a long time ago. See, I woke up one morning and wasn't feeling good. I just thought my tummy was upset and didn't think any more about it. So, I decided to do some maintenance on my TARDIS and…"

"Was she broken?"

"No, it was just usual maintenance. Anyway, Mommy came in and sat down on my legs and we started talking. You do know what Mommy's like when she thinks there's something wrong with you, right?" Adam asked and David nodded. "Well, she noticed that I was all sweaty and looked sick and she go off my legs, helping me stand up. The thing was, when I stood up, it hurt. I felt like someone kicked me in the tummy and I couldn't stand up. Now, this was back when my TARDIS was still brand new and her medical bay wasn't up and running yet, so we couldn't use it to see what was wrong. So, I went to the hospital and they found out that I needed my appendix out."

"Where did they take it out?" David asked and Adam showed him the scar on his stomach. David gently touched the scar and Adam kissed the top of his head. "Did it hurt when they took it out?"

"Um, no, I was asleep the whole time. It did hurt when I woke up but it wasn't that bad."

"Did you get ice cream afterwards? Aunt Martha said I'll get ice cream."

"Nope, and that was because I wasn't hungry when I woke up. I did get some a few days later."

"Was Mommy with you the whole time?"

"Yep," Adam said, popping the "p".

"Was Mister Bearlington with you, too?" David asked and Adam smiled, looking at the teddy bear.

"Nope, but I wouldn't have minded if he was. The only bad bit was when I had to stand up a few days after the surgery."

"Why did it hurt?"

"Well, it was because I had been lying down for a few days. So, when I stood up, my tummy and the other stuff slid down and it hurt where my appendix used to be."

"Then why did you stand up?"

"If I didn't then all the other stuff would have gotten all knotted up and that would really hurt."

"Were you scared?"

"Yep, want me to show you?" Adam asked and David nodded. They closed their eyes when Adam thought back to when he had his appendix out, set up a privacy block up and leaned back against the pillow.

"No!" Adam shouted while Rose and the nurse stood near the bed and he folded his arms over his chest. The tube to the IV was taped to his hand and he was wearing a blue and white striped hospital gown. His hair was sticking up on the top of his head and stubble was scattered along his jaw line.

"Come off it, Love, you have to do this or your intestines will get all knotted up," Rose said and he painfully sighed.

"But, Rose, it's going to hurt!"

"Aunt Rose was there?" David asked.

"No, that's Mommy," Adam said.

"But you called her Rose."

"That's her real name. See, when we moved here, Rose, Mommy and Aunt Rosie were all called Rose. So we didn't get confused, Aunt Rosie changed her name to Rosie and Mommy changed her name to Marion."

"Oh, ok," David said and Adam smiled, ruffling David's hair.

"Of course it will but only for a few seconds," Rose said and Adam sighed.

"That's a few seconds too many," he grumbled and his lower lip stuck out.

"Are you a chicken?" she asked and Adam's eyes went wide.

"No," Adam said, shaking his head.

"Then get up," she said and Adam frowned. The nurse pushed the button as the bed slowly moved up until he was half sitting up and he looked at the ceiling. The nurse moved the blankets back as she helped him sit up and he held onto the IV pole while his feet dangled off the side of the bed.

"Just hold onto me," the nurse said as he nodded and gently placed his hand on her shoulder while she helped him stand up.

"HOLY….!" Adam shouted as a cartoon hand covered his mouth and David's head appeared over Adam's head and David smiled.

"Oh, don't be such a baby!" Rose said and Adam glared at her, holding onto the IV pole with both hands.

"Right, now I want you to move your left foot forward," the nurse said and Adam looked at her with wide eyes.

"No thanks. My left foot is fine where it is," he said.

"Just move it," Rose said as he sighed and slowly slid his left foot forward.

"Good, now move your right foot," the nurse said and he looked at her.

"Um, no, this is enough for one day," Adam said, shaking his head.

"Come on, Love, come to Mommy," Rose said as she held her hands out and he looked at her then arched an eyebrow. She wiggled her fingers at him when he sighed and held onto the IV pole. Slowly he moved his right foot forward and a dull pain moved up his side. Nodding, Rose wiggled her fingers at him as he moved toward her until he was in front of her and he was breathing hard through his nose. Rose gently slid her arms around his neck when she kissed him and he smiled, placing his forehead against hers.

"The one thing your mommy like the most was watching my naked bottom wiggling from under the hospital gown that I was wearing," Adam said and David softly giggled. "So, are you ok?"

"Yeah," David said when the door opened and Rose and Martha brought Christopher into the room. Christopher was wearing his Spiderman pajamas as Martha moved the blankets back on the bed next to the bed where David was lying and they looked at Rose.

"What's going on?" Adam asked.

"It looks like David's getting a roommate. Chris needs his tonsils out, too," Rose said and Adam looked at a miserable Chris.

"Where's Alan?"

"He's upstairs in the men's ward."

"Why?"

"That's the funny bit. He needs his tonsils out, too," Rose said when a big grin came to Adam's face and he kissed the top of David's head then got off the bed. They watched as he ran out of the room and Rose looked at Martha.

"Where is he going?" she asked and Martha shrugged.

"This sucks," Alan sighed as he sat under the blanket and slumped against the pillow. He was wearing blue and white striped pajamas as he folded his arms over his chest and looked at his feet. Suddenly he heard a loud screeching sound when Adam appeared in the doorway and grinned. "What are you grinning at?"

"Oh, this is too good," Adam said as he walked to the bed and sat on the end of the bed, looking at him.

"I'm glad you find my pain and misery amusing," Alan said, frowning.

"Sod off, this is nothing compared to my operation," Adam said with a smirk on his face. "All they're going to do is put you to sleep, open that big mouth of yours, press your tongue down, slip in a clamp to take hold of the tonsil, snip it off, stitch you up, repeat on the other side and you're done. I, on the other hand, was cut open, my appendix was removed, stitched up, had a drainage tube put in and nearly died."

"Ok, you win, but it still sucks. Time Lords are not supposed to get sick."

"True, but stuff like this happens."

"But not to me!" Alan said and pounded his fist on the bed.

"Oh, now I see what's wrong. You, Alonzo Arthur Timelord, are scared!"

"I AM NOT!" Alan said with wide eyes and Adam started clucking like a chicken. Growling, Alan pulled one of the pillows out from behind his back and swung it at Adam, who dived off the bed and crawled along the floor. "COME BACK HERE!"

"No!" Adam said when he grabbed the other pillow off the bed and smacked Alan in the back with it. Spinning around, Alan stood on the bed as he swung the pillow at him and whacked Adam in the head. They started laughed as they hit each other with a pillow until the nurse ran into the room and gasped.

"What the hell are you two doing?" she demanded as they sat on the bed and panted.

"He started it," Alan said as he shoved Adam and Adam bumped into him, smiling.

"Well, you were the one acting like a baby," Adam said and the nurse sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Right, you, out!" she said as she pointed to Adam and he nodded, handing Alan the pillow then left the room. "And you, get back into bed!"

"Yes Matron!" Alan said as he saluted her and the nurse sighed, leaving the room. Alan smiled when Adam peeked back into the room and Alan wiggled his finger at him. Walking to the bed, Adam sat down as Alan sighed and brushed the hair out of his eyes. "Ok, I admit it. I'm bloody scared."

"I thought so. Look, it's going to be ok,' Adam said and gently patted Alan's leg.

"Um, would you be here when they take me up to surgery?" Alan asked sheepishly.

"Isn't your brother going to be here?"

"He went off to help Jack with that rift thing and won't be here until after the surgery's over."

"Oh, then, sure, I'll be here," Adam said with a smile and Alan smiled back.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty One

New Gallifrey Hospital

Chris watched while Grace injected the sedative into his arm and he whimpered. Rose send love and comfort into his mind as she held him and he sighed, closing his eyes. Martha had sedated David as Marion held him in her arms and gently rocked him. Grace and Martha had scheduled the boys' surgeries at the same time and the interns brought in the first gurney, heading for Chris' bed. Martha gently picked Chris up when she placed him on the gurney and covered him with a sheet up to his waist. Rose kissed his forehead as they left the room and David looked up at Marion.

"Where're Daddy?" he whispered.

"He's with Uncle Alan," she said when the interns came into the room with the gurney and she looked at it. "Guess it's your turn."

Grace lifted David up as the teddy bear fell to the bed and he looked down at it.

"Don't forget Mister Bearlington," he whispered and Grace smiled.

"I think he wants to stay here and keep your bed warm," she said as he nodded and sighed. She placed the sheet over him to his waist and they left the room.

"Whee!" Alan said as he hung his head off the side of the bed and raised his hands over his head. Adam silently wished that he had a camera as Alan waved his arms back and forth and started singing Mamma Mia.

"Ok, Tarzan, let's get you up before you do yourself an injury," Adam said as he walked to Alan's head and Alan looked up at him then giggled.

"You're upside down!" Alan laughed and Adam sighed, rolling his eyes. Carefully, he placed his arms under Alan's arms as he gently turned him until he was lying on the bed and straightened his legs. Alan held his fingers up to his face as his eyes went wide and he giggled. "Ooo, lookie, my fingers are melting!"

"Sure they are," Adam teased when the interns came in with the gurney and headed for the bed. "Ok, looks like your rides here."

"Am I going somewhere?" Alan asked as he half sat up on his elbows then looked at the gurney and smiled. "Oh, cool, can I play on that?"

"Sure, just hop on and they'll take you for a ride," Adam said with a smile but Alan's legs weren't working and Alan sighed, lying on his back.

"Oh crap, my legs have turned into jelly."

"Would you like these nice interns to help you get on the gurney then?" Adam asked and Alan nodded. The interns helped Alan get onto the gurney when they headed for the door and Alan grabbed hold of either side of the doorframe, looking back at Adam.

"Wait! I changed my mind!" he shouted and Adam laughed. He started clucking like a chicken when Alan folded his arms over his chest and looked at the ceiling. "Right, home, James!"

"How did he know my name was James?" the intern asked and Adam shrugged. He watched as they left the room when he sat on the edge of the bed and silently prayed that Alan, David and Chris would be alright.

David slowly opened his eyes when he felt a burning feeling in his throat and Marion gently brushed his hair back.

"There's my brave boy," she whispered and he sadly smiled at her. He looked to his left when he saw Adam standing next to the bed and he tapped the tip of his finger on David's nose.

"Do you want to try an ice chip?" he asked as David nodded and Adam took some ice out of the cup. "Chris is awake, too."

David looked at Chris as Chris smiled at him and Rose waved at him. Chris was sitting up as Rose held a bowl of ice cream in her hand and David looked up at Adam.

"Let's try the ice first," Adam said and David nodded. He opened his mouth as Adam placed the ice chip into David's mouth and told him to suck on it. "Now, it's going to hurt when you swallow, so it's ok to cry."

Nodding, David sucked on the ice until it melted and he sighed. Closing his eyes and holding onto Marion's finger, David swallowed and tears came to his eyes from the pain. Marion held him as he sobbed and she sent love and comfort into his mind. After David had settled down, she wiped his eyes when he looked at the bowl of ice cream and blinked.

"Want to give it a try?" she asked and he nodded. Handing the bowl to Adam, Adam sat down on the edge of the bed as he started feeding David the ice cream and David smiled.

"Oh, come on, open your mouth!" Rain said as Alan pressed his lips together and shook his head. She had tried to get him to try sucking on an ice chip since he woke up and she sighed, placing the ice chip into the cup. "You are such a baby."

"_Am not," _he thought, folding his arms over his chest.

"Do you think Chris and David are acting like babies?"

"_No."_

"Then why are you acting like this?"

"_Because it's going to hurt, that's why!"_

"And the brave Alan Timelord scared of a little pain?"

"_YES!" _he thought and she smiled. The door opened when the Doctor walked into the room and had a large bundle of balloons in his hands. _"Are those for me?"_

"Just these," the Doctor said as Rain walked to him and tied the small bundle of balloons to the back of the chair. "Thank you, Latara."

"He's being stubborn," she said as she kissed the Doctor's cheek and he nodded.

"_That is because someone has just yanked my tonsils out!" _Alan thought and the Doctor smiled. Handing her the balloons, he walked to the bed and sat down, picking the ice chip out of the cup.

"I'll make you a deal. You let me place this ice chip in your mouth, and you swallow it, I will buy you two months worth of White Castle burgers," he said and Alan's eyes went wide.

"_You promise?" _he thought and the Doctor nodded. Alan opened his mouth wide as the Doctor slid the ice chip into Alan's mouth and Alan sucked on the ice chip. _"Will you think less of me if I cry?"_

"No," the Doctor said with a smile and Alan swallowed.

"ACK!" Alan said while the tears rolled down his cheeks and the Doctor held him. Alan sniffed as he softly sobbed and the Doctor rubbed his back, sending love into his mind. Alan calmed down as the Doctor let go and Alan rested against the pillow, looking at the ceiling. "White…Castle?"

"Two months worth," the Doctor said and ruffled Alan's hair, making him smile.

"So he's being a pest, is he?" Rain asked and Rose nodded.

"I swear, if I figure out who gave Alan that bloody whistle, I am going to give them such a punch!" Rose said as she punched the cushion and Rain nodded.

"Well, I got to go. David really wants to see Cars," Marion said when she and Rain got up and walked to the door. Opening the door, Rain watched Marion walking down the sidewalk as they waved then turned and saw Rose behind her.

"I guess I'll go, too. If you feel Alan's mind blink out then I've killed him," she said and Rain smiled.

"I have an idea on how to get him to stop," she said and Rose blinked.

"What?"

"Tell him you'll sick your mum on him if he doesn't knock it off," she said and Rose smiled.

"Now why didn't I think of that!" she said as they hugged and Rose headed down the sidewalk. Rain closed the door when she looked at the garage door and sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You can come out now," she said as the door opened and the Doctor walked into the room. She folded her arms over her chest as she tapped her foot and he looked at the floor. "You do know that she's going to be pissed off when she finds out that it was you who gave him that bell, don't you?"

"Yes," the Doctor said softly, nodding his head. She walked to him when she slid her arms around his waist and rolled her eyes.

"What am I going to do with you?"

"Kiss me?" he asked as she laughed then kissed him and he smiled.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty Two

David looked at his reflection in the mirror as he brushed the hair from his eyes and sighed. His stomach was doing flips as he looked at the piece of paper and closed his eyes. His drama teacher didn't think a seven year old should tackle such a long soliloquy as the one he was going to perform for the Shakespeare festival but he knew the soliloquy forward and backwards.

"That's because you've seen Hamlet over twenty times," he said then laughed, placing the piece of paper on the table. Walking to the door, he opened the door while he looked out into the hallway and saw some of his friends walking by. Most of them had gone on stage already and the others were getting ready to do their scenes or speeches and he walked out of the dressing room, heading for the stage. He was barefoot and was wearing jeans, a belt and a red t-shirt. He also had a small cloth tied around the palm of his hand and he looked at his teacher. Professor Liken looked at him as she frowned and folded her arms over her chest.

"What are you wearing?" she asked and he looked at his clothing.

"I am going to do the soliloquy from the two thousand and eight production of Hamlet," he said and she nodded. Peeking out from behind the curtain, David looked at the front row when he saw most of his family sitting in the seats but three chairs were empty and he frowned.

"_River, where are Mommy and Daddy?" _he thought as he set up a privacy block and felt her mind coming closer.

"_They're coming, Bump, don't worry," _River thought and sent love and comfort into his mind. Sighing, he moved the curtain back when he looked at Professor Liken and she gently patted his shoulder.

The curtain came up as the lights went low and the stage was set up as a castle throne room. The walls looked like they were made of stone as shields with family crests hung on the walls, torches sat in iron holders, two suits of armor stood on either side of the stage, a table with a pot of flowers sat to the left with two chairs on either end of the table and three thrones sat at the back of the stage. The floor was black and highly polished as the tiles mirrored the flickering light of the candles and a chandelier hung over the stage. Quietly, David walked onstage as he looked seriously at the audience then blinked when he saw Adam, Marion and his godfather, David, sitting in the empty seats and David was filming him.

"_Surprise!" _Adam thought as David stood straighter and headed for the center of the stage. He didn't mind that the floor was cold as he closed his eyes for a few seconds then opened them and placed his hands behind his back.

"To be or not to be…that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of trouble and by opposing…end them? To die…to sleep no more…and by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep…to sleep, perchance to dream, aye, there's the rub. For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come. When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause, there's the respect. That makes calamity of so long life. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time? The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, the pangs of despised love, the law's delay, the insolence of office and the spurns that patient merit of the unworthy takes when he himself might his quietus make with a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear, to grunt and sweat under a weary life, but that the dread of something after death? The undiscover'd country from whose bourn no traveler returned, puzzles the will and makes us rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all. And thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought and enterprises of great pith and moment with this regard their currents turn awry. And lose the name of action," David said then looked offstage and sighed. "Soft you now! The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons, be all my sins remember'd!"

The audience clapped as he bowed and David gave him a wink. Smiling, David walked offstage as Professor Liken looked at him. He stopped in front of her as she placed her hands on his shoulders and smiled.

"That was perfect!" she said as he nodded then walked to the dressing room and opened the door. Closing the door, he stood against the door then slid to the floor and placed his back of his head against the door.

"Whew," he sighed when he got up then walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

David blushed when he walked outside the Doctor's house and saw his family applauding, whistling and cheering.

"BRAVO! BRAVO!" Alan and Adam shouted as David did a little bow and walked to Marion, who wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug.

"Make 'em stop," David whispered as he blushed and she kissed the top of his head.

"Ok, knock it off, you two," she said as Alan and Adam nodded and David sighed, placing his head against her chest. "You did a great job."

"I was really scared," he whispered and she kissed the top of his head.

"I bet," she said when David walked closer and Little David looked at him.

"Blimey, I'm impressed. You did that speech better than I did," he teased and Little David beamed.

"Nah, you're still the best Hamlet," Little David said, toeing the ground with his sneaker.

"If you say so," David said with a shrug of his shoulder and Little David giggled. "Now, I hate to say this, but I have to go."

"Do you have to?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so," he said, sighing.

"When are you leaving?"

"In a few minutes," David said and Little David let go of him.

"Can I go with Daddy?" Little David asked as he looked at Marion and she nodded. A few minutes later the soft ground sound filled the air as the TARDIS dematerialized and pieces of paper swirled around in a small circle.

After dropping David off at his house, Adam moved around the console as he set the coordinates and pulled the main lever. Little David sat on the jump seat while he picked at the arm of the jump seat and Adam felt his hearts hurting. He knew that Little David wanted David to stay as much as he did but they both know that he couldn't stay and Adam sighed, looking at the screen.

"Where are we going?" David asked.

"Oh, I thought we'd go somewhere special, seeing how well you did with your performance," Adam said when the TARDIS landed and he walked to the jump seat, holding his hand out. "Come on, there's someone I think you should meet."

"Who are you talking about, Daddy?" David asked as he got up and took Adam's hand. Walking to the door, Adam opened the doors and they walked outside. Letting go of David's hand, Adam locked the doors then took David's hand and they walked down the cobble stone street. "Where are we?"

"We're in London," Adam said while they walked along and David looked around. Going around a corner, Adam smiled when he stopped and David looked at the building in front of them.

"Daddy, that's the Globe Theatre," he said and Adam nodded.

"And we're right in time to see the rehearsal of the new play that's going to be performed tonight," he said as they walked inside and headed toward the stage. Standing on the stage was someone Adam only saw in his brother's mind as he smiled and the man turned around, looking at him.

"Ah, Doctor, is that you?" William Shakespeare asked as he walked down the steps and Adam smiled.

"No, sorry, I'm his brother, Adam," he said as Shakespeare smiled and Adam smiled back.

"My word, you look just like him," he said then looked at David. "And who is this fine lad?"

"This is my son, David."

"Well, hello, Master David!" Shakespeare said and they shook hands. "Now, what can I do for?"

"Oh, we were just passing by and I was wondering if we could watch the rehearsal."

"Considering your brother saved my life, I would be honored," Shakespeare said with a slight bow and Adam nodded. Taking a seat in the front row, Adam held David close to his side as the actors came on the stage and David looked up at him.

"What play are they doing, Daddy?" he asked and Adam smiled.

"Hamlet," Adam said as David gasped then grinned and snuggled closer to Adam, placing his head against his arm.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty Three

After packing up and using the bathroom, they headed back down the trail towards New Franklin. About a quarter of a mile out, they saw the train tunnel. It was made of stone blocks the arched up about thirty feet from the ground. The tunnel was about 500 feet long and the outside was covered with soil, grass and trees.

"Cool!" Chaska said as he and Christopher rode into it first.

The others followed and Doc showed Namid what it looked like while everyone stopped just inside it in order to get a closer look. High above them on the ceiling, the stones were blackened by years of exposure from soot as the train's smokestacks came through. The Doctor took a flashlight out of his trouser pocket and aimed it up at the ceiling as the children looked up.

"Wow, this is neat. I wonder how many steam engines came through here?" Christopher asked.

"Forty billion two million," Alan said.

"Nuh-uh," Christopher said as Alan snickered.

"Okay, two," Alan amended as Christopher gave him a playful slap on the arm.

Suddenly, the Doctor heard Namid shriek and he spun around, his body tensed.

"There's something on me!" Namid said, pointing down to her right leg where a black beetle was slowly climbing up it.

The Doctor grinned and sauntered over as everyone laughed. He bent down to her.

"Problems, my jewel?" he asked her.

"Yes, there's something going up my leg. Can you fix it?" Namid asked.

"Well, that something is a beetle and yes, I believe I can fix it," the Doctor said before he plucked the bug off her leg.

He held it up in front of his face as the beetle flailed its legs.

"Sorry, mate, that was not a tree you were climbing up and you better get away from my daughter before you end up having a hand crush your body."

He put the bug on the wall and watched as it climbed up it.

"Problem solved by brilliant me once again," he said, picking Namid up. "I have saved you from the beetle going up your leg."

"Yay!" Namid said as she hugged him tight.

He crooked his arm and supported her butt as they walked around the tunnel. Up ahead near the end, Christopher was looking at something and he called to Chaska. When Chaska came up beside him, Christopher pointed to what he was looking up and Chaska ran to get his father.

"Daddy, come here, you gotta see this. Two birds are play fighting like you and Uncle Alan did!" he said, pointing to the other end of the tunnel.

Everyone followed him and came up behind Christopher who pointed to two birds several feet away. One bird was large and brown while the other was slightly smaller and bright blue. The bright blue one fluttered up and mounted the other on the back for a few seconds, then jumped off and both of them circled each other before the blue bird repeated the mounting gesture.

"Um, I don't think they're playfighting," Rain said. "I think they're doing something a bit more adult than that."

"What do you mean, Mummy?" Sokanon asked.

"She means that these two are probably doing a mating ritual," the Doctor said.

"What's that mean?" Chaska asked.

"Um…" the Doctor said, trying to be discreet about the answer. "Means that the blue bird is trying to impress what I figure is the female with his colorful feathers and dancing and if she likes him they'll make a nest and have babies."

"Ew…" Christopher said, making a face. "They wanna have sex?"

Everyone stared at him.

"Yeah, where did you learn about that?" the Doctor asked.

"One of my friends at the academy told me about sex."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"That figures," she muttered while Alan patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to him and find out what he knows," Alan said to her.

They watched as the birds continued the mating ritual.

"Go blue!" Jack said as the blue bird tried to mount the female bird.

They laughed when the female suddenly turned on him and chased him around, trying to peck him.

"Apparently she's not interested enough," Rain said.

"Nah, he's not that blue. I've seen bluer," the Doctor said as they headed back to their bicycles.

On the way back, they saw a young man and woman walking their golden retriever. Both of them were lean and muscular, the man had floppy brown hair with bangs that hung over his eyes, a chiseled jaw and green eyes. The woman had long red hair, green eyes and a heart-shaped face. Both were wearing jean shorts and t-shirts. They waved at everyone as they came into the tunnel.

"Good afternoon, great day for a hike," the man said.

"That it is. Have you been traveling long?" the Doctor said as he sat Namid down on the ground and Sokanon took her hand.

"Not long, we just came from Rocheport," the man said as the children came up and petted the dog. "We live there and we're just taking the dog for a walk. I'm Brian and this is Meg and our dog is Buster."

The Doctor introduced everyone and they spent a moment talking while the children petted buster and scratched his ears. Finally, Brian and Meg went on and the children said goodbye to Buster while the three of them walked off. Doc helped his daughter back to the bike while the others got on theirs. They waved at their friends as they rode past them and headed on towards New Franklin.

Halfway to New Franklin they reached a wooded area that was bordered on the right side by a high cliff wall. On the other side was a wooden bench and they all stopped for a rest. As soon as Rain got a look at the bench she noticed a yellow triangular metal sign mounted beside the bench and bent over laughing. When everyone looked her way, she pointed to it.

FALLING ROCKS.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow and a bemused grin spread over his face.

"They put a bench next to the falling rocks?" he said as everyone laughed. "Is this for anyone who likes a bit of danger when they're resting their feet."

"Where are falling rocks?" Sokanon asked, looking around.

The Doctor pointed up to the cliff wall.

"I assume they mean this," he said. "I'm sure sometimes piece of the cliff break off and fall but normally you wouldn't put a bench where the rocks could fall on ya."

Alan flounced over to the bench and slammed down hard on it.

"YODEL-LAY-HEE-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he bellowed up at the cliff face as everyone laughed. "HEY! ROCKS, HERE I AM. FALL ON ME!"

He twiddled his thumbs and waited, then shrugged when nothing happened.

"Wussy rocks," Alan said, going back to his bike. "They must be afraid of me."

"Oh God, please let a rock fall on this head right this very minute and prove him wrong," Rain muttered under her breath as the Doctor snickered and grabbed the water bottle from the holder on his bike.

He took a long swig and made an exaggerated ecstatic face while Rain gave him an odd look.

"Ahhh, I love these water bottles the TARDIS came up with. Keeps the water nice and cold no matter how hot it gets and…"

He let out a yelp as Sokanon lifted up his trouser leg and put her ice cold water bottle on his bare leg. He tried to put his on her cheek but she ran away giggling.

"Just wait. I have a long memory and I'll return the favor when you're least expecting it," the Doctor said.

He took another swig and Rain laughed when he gargled the water, swallowed it and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, demurely dabbing it at both corners of his mouth.

"Okay, Lord Doctor the Aristocrat, I think you got all the water droplets off your mouth," Rain said as the Doctor gave her a cheeky grin.

They got back on their bikes and gasped when Alan zoomed past all of them before they even got going.

"I AM GOING TO WIN THIS RACE!" they heard him scream back as he zoomed around a bend and down a hill.

Chaska and Christopher laughed and took off after him as everyone else followed. When they rounded the bend they saw Alan far ahead of them giving the two boys the evil eye as they tried to catch up with him.

"NO, YOU WON'T OVERTAKE ME! I WILL WIN!" Alan screamed at them as he pedaled faster. "EAT MY DUST!"

By now, he was about a quarter of a mile from everyone else and the boys were trying to catch up to him. The others pedaled leisurely and when Alan reached another bend in the road about a half mile from them, he stopped and stared at his slow poke family.

"HEY, WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA? PEDAL FASTER, YOU GITS!" he screamed at them. "IT'S NO FUN WINNING THE RACE WHEN YOU'RE TWO MILES BEHIND ME!"

They watched as Christopher and Chaska came up behind him and stopped. They laughed when Alan made a big show of pointing to them and pointing at his watch, then pointing to them again as the boys laughed. The two boys turned their faces towards them.

"COME ON!" Chaska screamed.

"YEAH, TIME'S A-WASTIN'! GET A MOVE ON!" Christopher screamed.

Rain smirked. She slowed to a stop and yawned as she put her feet on the ground.

"I think it's time to rest," she said, getting off her bike as everyone else stopped beside her.

They laughed at Alan's shocked look while Rain went and sat in the grass and laughed harder when he shook his fist at them.

"COME ON, LEAVE RAINY PAINY IN THE DIRT AND GET THE LEAD OUT!" Alan screamed. "I WANNA RACE ALL OF YA!"

"YEAH, WE WANNA RACE," Chaska screamed.

"Gee, think we should catch up to them?" Rain asked the others. "Cause I could just lay here aaaall day loooong."

"Nah, we better catch up to him before Alan goes and causes trouble," the Doctor said.

Rain let out a melodramatic sigh.

"Okay, if we must," she said, getting up and walking to her bike.

She got back on and they headed towards Alan who was pointing violently at his watch as he held his arm back up in the air. They took their time and leisurely came towards them. The moment they rounded the corner, Alan quickly mounted his bike and sped away followed by Christopher and Chaska.

"Whoooo-hooo, eat my dirt!" Alan said as he zoomed away. "Race time!"

"You know, I hope he doesn't round a corner and slam into some hapless bikers or hikers," Doc said as he pedaled his bike.

"I'm hoping he does just so we can stand there and watch the other people beat the snot outta him," Jack said.

"I second that," Rain said, rolling her eyes as Alan whooped and yelled in the distance and taunted them to keep up with him.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty Four

By the time the bulk of the group reached New Franklin, Alan, Chaska and Christopher were waiting for them, sitting leisurely on the bench beside the billboard.

"Ha! I won!" Alan said to them.

"We weren't racing you," Rain said as they rode up beside them.

"I gotta go pee," Sokanon said, getting off her bike and heading for the bathroom.

"Me too," Namid said.

Doc helped her off and led her to the empty bathroom as everyone else got off their bikes and stretched.

"Well, that was a productive day. A little over twenty miles. Should we go on or stay here?" 

"I wanna stay here. I'm tired," Chaska said.

"Yeah, we already found a place where we can camp tonight," Christopher said.

"Oh?" the Doctor said, "where?"

"Just up the road here. They allow campfires and you pay ten dollars for a spot at a house next door," Alan said. "Would have done but I didn't know what you were thinking because sadly I'm not joined at your wrist anymore."

"Okay, if we're going to spend the night here, I need to get more food because I only packed enough for lunch," the Doctor said.

"Already found the solution, Fearless Leader," Alan said with a salute. "There is also a small store nearby with a woman who is grilling burgers for everyone."

"Well, show me where it is and we'll go get food for tonight and secure a camping spot."

"Can I come, Daddy?" Chaska asked as Christopher and he came up beside the Doctor.

"Me too, I wanna come too," Christopher said.

"Aren't you tired?" the Doctor said as Sokanon and Namid came out of the bathrooms.

"No, I wanna help, Daddy," Chaska said, shrugging.

"Okay, if you lot are able to keep awake you can come. What about you?" he asked Sokanon and Namid. "You wanna walk down with us and get food and a campsite or are you too tired?"

"I'm tired, Daddy, I wanna rest," Namid said.

"Yeah, me too."

"Okey-dokey, anyone else wanna come?" the Doctor said.

"I will," Jack said.

"Not me, I'm tired too," Rain said.

"Yeah, same here," Rose added.

"Ditto," Doc said.

The Doctor nodded. His group walked off while Rain got the blanket from the carrier, walked over to a nearby tree and spread it out. She sat down beside it with Rose and Doc while Sokanon led Namid to it and they lay down on the blanket and stretched out. Rain smiled when Namid lay her hand on her leg before she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. While she lay there listening to her mother chatting with Rose and Doc, she reached out her mind to her father and smiled when she felt him. She'd only been able to do this for a couple of years, ever since the Doctor taught her and her siblings how to connect minds and communicate telepathically as well as share images and feelings. Despite being blind, her father and mother never showed any impatience and always encouraged her to do things, even if it seemed like a blind person couldn't do them. Her father was always coming up with ways to participate by modifying and building things and it made her love him and her mother all the more. She always tried to show her love to him because she could sense a sadness deep inside him that had never left him even though she knew he loved his family and was content with them. Smiling, Namid concentrated on the Doctor's mind and sent an image into it.

The Doctor and his group finished paying for a spot in the campsite and bought a couple of handfuls of cut wood for their campfire. Next to the little white wooden house where they purchased the wood and campsite was a blue wooden building that housed a shop and outdoor grill where a woman was cooking burgers and hot dogs and making French fries. While they were waiting for their order to be grilled, the Doctor felt a privacy block going up around his mind and heard a giggle from Namid as he suddenly saw an image of her walking through a building with an older man. Namid had little angel wings on her back and was wearing a long white gown while the older man wore a toga and had larger angel wings.

"Well, young lady, you're all set to go down and be born," the man said to angel Namid. "It's time for you to pick your parents."

They went through a door and walked by men and woman of different ages, ethnicities and species who sat in Perspex boxes mounted on wooden bases. Each base had a golden plaque that listed the person or person's name. The couples waved to Namid as she walked past them. She waved back but didn't stop until she came to one case where the Doctor and Rain sat. She paused and studied them and then turned to the eldery angel with a smile and pointed to them.

"Them! I want them. They'll be the perfect mummy and daddy for me!" she said.

"Good choice. However, these parents are popular and you'll have to share them with another boy and girl."

"Okay," angel Namid said.

The elderly angel unlocked the case to let them out while Namid looked at something further down. She walked past a few more cases till she came to someone sitting by themselves looking lonely. His plaque read Doc. Namid studied him and then walked back to the elderly angel.

"Hey, can I have him too?" she said, pointing to Doc. "He's lonely and he needs me."

"Well, normally we don't allow children to have three parents but he is lonely and needs you. So you can have him too."

"Yay! I'll have the bestest parents ever!" angel Namid said.

Alan sniffed the aroma of sizzling meat as they sat near the grill.

"Ooo, I can't wait to eat one of these burgers. They look de-licious," he said to Jack who was sitting beside him. "How about you, Brother?"

He looked across the table and frowned when he noticed the Doctor was staring past him with tears in his eyes.

"Brother?" Alan said as everyone stared at him. "What's wrong?"

"I'm being loved past the point of all reason, that's what's wrong," the Doctor said as a goofy grin spread over his face.

"Really?" Jack said, "by who?"

The Doctor held up his finger. He scrunched up his face and concentrated on sending a tsunami of love right into Namid's brain.

Rain jerked her head around and smiled when she heard Namid giggle hysterically.

"What's so funny, baby?" she asked as she laid her hand on her hair.

"Daddy's giving me lots of love cause I showed him how much I love him," Namid said, glancing up in her direction.

"You did? That was sweet of you," Rose said.

"Yes, I showed Daddy this," she said.

She replayed what she showed the Doctor and both Rain and Doc got tears in their eyes as Rose gave her sister a sideways hug. Doc got up and walked over as Rain knelt over and kissed her cheek.

"I'm glad you think we're the perfect parents, baby, cause I think you're a perfect child," she said.

Namid smiled when Doc scooped her up into her arms and held her tight while he rocked her and nuzzled her cheek. While he did that, Namid saw the Doctor in her mind's eye standing at a wooden counter speaking to someone out of sight.

"Hi, I'd like a forty foot burger with all the trimmings for my daughter who thinks I'm the perfect parent," he said.

He walked behind the counter and Namid giggled when ten seconds later he was driving a forklift that was carrying the monster burger. Suddenly, Mental Doctor stopped the forklift and gave her a suspicious look.

"Wait, did you say all that just so I would buy you a mega burger?" he asked.

_No, Daddy, I love you,_ Namid thought to him.

The Mental Doctor smiled as cartoon hearts came out of his head. Whistling, he drove the forklift on until he came to a mental version of his daughter. He sat it down in front of her and backed away. Namid giggled when her mental version tore into the burger, eating it rapidly while the Mental Doctor watched. When Namid explained why she was laughing, the adults chuckled and Rain patted her head while Doc kissed her. After that, Namid lay back down and filled with her father's love, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty Five

The morning sunlight slowly brightened the room while Jamie slept on his back and Jenna's head rested on his chest. Her fingers moved across his skin as he sighed and held her hand against his chest. Jeanna heard the soft beating of his hearts as she started waking up and slid her hand out from under his hand, tracing little words in Gallifreyan on his skin.

"That tickles," Jamie sighed as she smiled and moved her fingers across his skin a few more times. Jamie wiggled on the bed as she climbed on top of him and brushed his arms to his side. Sliding her hands up his chest, Jenna kissed his lips when Jamie wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back. Neither of them noticed the door opening as their three year old grandson, Alexander, walked to the bed and looked at them. Frazer, Angel and Alexander were visiting them for the weekend and Alexander was wearing Penguins of Madagascar pajamas and was holding his plush Skipper the penguin in his arms.

"Pa-paw, what are you an' Nan doing?" he asked as Jenna and Jamie looked at him and Jenna folded her arms on Jamie's chest, looking at him.

"Aye, Pa-paw, what are we doing?" she asked and Jamie blushed. He started chewing on his fingernail while Alexander climbed on the bed and sat next to them.

"Nan an' I were just cuddling," Jamie finally said and Alexander made an O with his mouth.

"Mommy an' Daddy do that, too, but sometimes they dinnae have their jammies on," Alexander said and Jenna softly laughed.

"_I cannae believe he just said that!" _Jamie thought after placing up a privacy block.

"_Out of the mouth of babes," _Jenna thought and Jamie nodded.

"Xander?" Angel's voice called out as she walked by the door then stopped and looked into the room. "There you are."

"Mommy, Nan an' Pa-paw were snogging!" he said and Jenna buried her face into Jamie's chest.

"They were?" she said as she walked to the foot of the bed and Jamie kissed the top of Jenna's head.

"Aye, but we have our jammies on," Jamie said as Angel's eyes went wide and he started giggling.

"Well, how about we go make breakfast so Nan and Pa-paw can wake up properly?" she asked as she picked Alexander up and carried him out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"So, um, should we get up or do you want tae get up an' lock the door?" Jamie asked as Jenna moved the duvet back, walked to the door, locked the door, walked back to bed and crawled on top of him, lying down on him. "Ah, thought so!"

The gently sounds of bagpipes filled the control room as Jamie moved around the console and pushed the buttons, moved the switches, flicked the levers and his six year old twins sat in the jump seat.

"Where are we going, Daddy?" Zoe asked.

"We are going tae Scotland," Jamie said as he watched her get off the jump seat and stood next to him.

"Do you need any help?" she asked and he looked down at her. Like her namesake, Zoe was brilliant and knew more about computers than her twin brother, Donald. He looked back at Donald as Donald sighed and picked at the arm of the jump seat.

"Aye, I do," Jamie said then smiled at Donald. Wiggling his finger at Donald, Jamie smiled as Donald blinked then got off the jump seat, walking to him. Jamie lifted Donald up as he pointed at the lever near the rotor and Donald smiled, pulled the lever down. Jamie hugged him then put him down then lifted Zoe up, pointing to the main lever. Nodding, Zoe pulled the main lever down as the TARDIS hummed around them and the rotor moved up and down behind the glass.

The people moved by as the TARDIS materialized and the long green grass fluttered in the wind. The doors opened as Jamie and Jenna walked outside and Jamie gently adjusted the kilt he was wearing. Jenna was wearing a matching kilt, a white cotton blouse, white knee high socks and black shoes. Jamie was also wearing a white linen shirt, a black sporran, white knee high socks and brown hiking boots. His dirk hung from the black belt and the strap to his bagpipes hung over his shoulder. Standing back, Jamie watched as his children and grandchildren came out of the TARDIS and Jamie closed the doors, locking them.

"Daddy, I dinnae want tae wear a skirt," Jamie's five year old grandson, Douglas, moaned and stamped his foot on the ground.

"It's nae a skirt, Dougie, it's a kilt," Jamie's son, Angus, said as Douglas sighed and pouted.

"I still dinnae like it!"

"I do 'cause you dinnae have tae wear underpants!" Alexander said when he bent over, pulled the kilt up and mooned Douglas.

"Alexander!" Angel said as she blushed and picked him up, looking at Frazer. "I thought you checked to see if he was wearing anything!"

"He was!" Frazer said and Jamie cupped his mouth, trying not to laugh.

"I took 'em off, Mommy," Alexander said with a grin.

"Why?" Angel asked.

"'cause Pa-paw Alan told me that a true highlander wears na' under their kilts. So, since I'm a highlander, I took 'em off," Alexander said, shrugging.

"Ah, remind me tae give Pa-paw Alan a punch when we get back," Frazer said and Angel gently shoved him. "Where did you put them?"

"I put 'em in your sporran, Daddy," Alexander said as Frazer opened the sporran and pulled out the Thomas the Tank Engine underpants. Frazer's brothers gathered around them while Angel knelt down and helped Alexander put the underpants on.

"Right, let's get going," Jenna said as they walked by the people and headed down the path.

"So, Dad, who do you thinks going to win this year?" Jamie's son, Robert, asked and held onto the hand of his three year old son, Charles while his wife, Catherine, carried their two month old son, Andrew, in a baby carrier. They had arrived just outside the town of Dunoon, Scotland in the year two thousand and nine. They were going to the Cowal Games and Jamie and Robert were excited about the pipe band competition.

"Dinnae ken," Jamie said as they walked toward the gaming area and Jamie looked at the tents spreading out before them. People were wearing kilts and were chatting as Jamie's mind drifted back to the games and festivals he went to when he was younger and Jenna gently squeezed his hand.

"What's that?" Toni asked as she pointed to a tent and they walked closer to the tent, looking at the sign. Toni was Jamie's son, Ian's, wife and Ian held her hand as they walked to the sign. CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT was on the sign as they looked at each other than at the eleven children.

"Can we go in there, Mommy?" her four year old daughter, Cathleen, asked and her three year old brothers, Duncan and Mark, looked at her.

"Do the rest of you want tae go, too?" Jamie's son, Conner, asked and the children nodded.

"Then let's go," Frazer said as he held onto Alexander's hand and they went into the tent. The young lady at the entrance told them that they had just opened the children's entertainment tent and they were the first family to go inside. The children enjoyed themselves as Jamie smiled and Zoe ran to him, hugging him.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked and she nodded.

"This is a lot better than the games we went tae see last year," Zoe said and he frowned.

"What was wrong with those?"

"They were boring, Daddy," she said and he gasped.

"Why were they boring?" he asked with a hurt look on his face.

"Because it rained an' most of the games were cancelled."

"Dad," Ian said as he walked closer and had a clipboard in his hand. "I went tae the tent where they're doing the solo bagpipe competition and got your application."

Nodding, Jamie took the clipboard from him then started filling the application out, handing it back to Ian. Ian walked away as Zoe tugged on Jamie's kilt and he looked down at her.

"Are you scared, Daddy?" she asked.

"No," Jamie said, shaking his head. Taking her hand, they went to find Jenna and Jamie smiled, swinging Zoe's hand back and forth.

Jenna stood at the end of the row as they sat down and sat down on the seat at the end of the row. A large stage was at the back of the tent as the contestants for the solo bagpipe competition sat on the stage and Jamie sat at the end to the right of the stage. He nodded to her as the first piper stood up and started playing. One by one, the pipers played until the young man that was sitting to Jamie's right stood up and walked to the microphone stand. Closing his eyes, the piper started playing and a few people winced at the sour notes.

"_Bugger, he sounds like he's killing a goose!" _Conner thought as they smiled and Frazer closed his eyes. Suddenly a cartoon version of the piper appeared in their heads as he walked onto the stage and was holding a cartoon goose under his arm. It had white feathers, orange feet and a orange bill and it blinked its black eyes. Taking a deep breath, the piper placed the goose's bill into his mouth when he blew into its beak and the eyes bugged out. The children giggled as their mothers hushed them and Frazer smiled. The cartoon piper kept blowing air into the cartoon goose while it expanded until it was the size of a medium size beach ball and the children giggled inside their heads. Suddenly the cartoon piper started squeezing the cartoon goose as it started honking louder and louder then looked at the cartoon piper, folded its wings over its chest. It reached up when it bit the cartoon piper's nose and the cartoon piper dropped the cartoon goose to the ground. Flicking its chin up, the cartoon goose walked away while the cartoon piper sat on the ground and the large cartoon bump on his nose was pulsating up and down. The children giggled softly when the piper finished and the people applauded.

"_You are just as bad as my dad," _Angel thought as Frazer shrugged and she kissed his cheek.

Jenna smiled when Jamie stood up and walked to the microphone stand. Closing his eyes, Jamie started playing as his fingers moved over the holes of the chanter and the audience sat in awe. Jenna felt the tears rolling down her cheeks as she smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. Jamie finished to silence as he looked at the audience when they stood up and applauded. Softly smiling, Jamie bowed then sat down and placed his bagpipes on his lap. The winners were awarded by grade when they came to Jamie's group and Jenna crossed her fingers. No one was stunned when the judge announced that Jamie had won as Frazer, Angus, Robert, Ian and Conner cheered and whistled and Jamie softly laughed.

The room was quiet while Jamie sat against the pillows and looked at the ribbon they had given him. He had never won a piper competition before as he smiled and placed the ribbon on the nightstand. Turning the light off, he slid down until he was lying on his back and Jenna moved closer, placing her head on his chest. His hearts thumped soft and steady in his ear as she gently stroked his chest and he picked up her hand, kissing her knuckles.

"That was a fun day," she said as he nodded and gently stroked her arm.

"I still cannae believe I won! I never won a competition in my life!" he said and she kissed his chest.

"What was that song you were playing? I never heard of it before."

"That's because I made it up."

"What was the song about?"

"It was aboot me, basically. The first part was aboot my childhood then the Battle of Culloden then traveling with your dad then my accident then living my life without memories then meeting you then getting my memories back then my life with you," he said as the song started playing in her head and she closed her eyes. Images floated through her mind as she sighed and Jamie felt the tears trickling onto his skin. "Was it that bad?"

"No, it was that good!" she whispered then climbed on top of him and softly laid on top of him. Kissing his lips, Jenna smiled when he reached over and turned the light off, causing the room to become dark. Suddenly someone knocked on the door as she smiled and placed her face on his chest.

"Pa-paw, can I come in?" Alexander asked while the door handle wiggled up and down and Jenna softly giggled.

"Why do you want tae come in?" Jamie asked.

"Because Daddy's snoring an' I cannae sleep," he said and Jamie could barely see Jenna's face as she smiled at him. Sighing, she got off of him then got up and headed for the door. Opening the door, she looked down at Alexander and smiled. Taking his hand, they walked into the bedroom and she closed the door behind them.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty Six

Rain looked up when her husband returned with a large paper sack in his hands. Behind him, Jack, Chaska and Christopher carried similar bags. Alan walked behind the pack, hands in pockets as he whistled cheerfully.

"We have burgers, chips, soft drinks and some sliced vegetables for tonight," he said to them. "We didn't let Alan carry any because it would have been gone before we got it here."

"Yup, because I'm a hungry boy," Alan said, patting his tummy.

"Now," the Doctor said, setting his bag down on the ground, "where is my daughter who thinks I'm a perfect parent?"

Rain pointed to Namid who was snoring softly beside her. The Doctor's face fell.

"No, I was all set to love her back. Ah well, both her and her sister are tired and need their rest," he said. "Do you know what she did?"

"Yes, she showed me and Doc what she showed you," Rain said.

"Oh good, I was going to show you if she hadn't done that since it concerned you two as well."

He looked down at his sleeping daughters.

"Well, as much as I hate to disturb them, we need to move to our campsite," he said as he bent down.

He nudged Sokanon.

"Huh?" she murmured in her sleep.

"Sokeeeee, gotta move, gotta get up and walk down to our campsite and then you can go back to sleep."

"Okay, I'm comin'," Sokanon murmured.

Everyone giggled when she immediately fell back to sleep.

"I've got a solution to this," Alan said, bending down and gathering her into his arms. "There, now she can keep on sleeping while we transfer here. Ha! I'm a genius."

The Doctor smiled. He bent down and gathered Namid into his arms and held her close while Rose grabbed the blanket and she and Rain helped fold it up. While the Doctor walked away, he felt his daughter stir in his arms.

"Aha, there you are," he said as she blinked awake.

"Who's this?" Namid said groggily.

"The number one parent there ever was."

"Oh, hi, Daddy."

"Hello, my little number one fan. I'm taking you to the campsite so we can have fun tonight."

"Okay," she said, snuggling against his shoulder.

The Doctor sped up a bit so he could talk to her as they walked.

"I love that you did that, Mi-mi, that was one of the best gifts I've ever received," he said softly to her.

"I just want you to be happy, Daddy."

"I am happy. You and your brother and sister make me very happy."

"Sometimes you seem sad. Like I can feel it deep down."

The Doctor was shocked by that.

"Really? You can feel my sadness."

"Sometimes. I just sorta feel like your sad, like it's a part of you, you know."

"Well, a lot of sad things have happened in my lives, Rainbow, and everything I've seen is a part of who I am."

"That's why I want you to know I love you."

The Doctor's hearts melted and he sent love into her mind.

"I'm glad you love me. I'm glad you think I'm a great parent."

"You are. You don't make fun of me."

"Why would I make fun of you?" the Doctor said.

"Cause I'm blind."

The Doctor stopped in his tracks.

"Honey, I'd never make fun of you for that."

"Some people do."

"Who?" the Doctor said, the words coming out more forceful than he meant them to.

"I've heard some people talk before about how I'll never grow up to be anything special cause I can't see."

"Mi-mi, listen to me. Whoever said that, they're fools and idiots. You can be anything you wanna be and I know for a fact you're not about to let your blindness stand in your way."

"I can even be a time traveler?"

"Yes, Mi-mi, and if that's what you wanna do, I can help you by coming up with devices that'll compensate for your blindness. Just don't listen to anyone that is going to put you down and tell you that you can't do it because they don't know you like I know you and like your family knows you and you are a very special young girl."

Namid thought about that as she held onto the Doctor.

"I think that's why I chose you, Daddy, cause I wanna be a Time Lady when I grow up."

"Well then, I'll help you become one," the Doctor said, sending love into her mind. "And now, my future explorer, we are at the campsite."

He walked off the trail and onto the grass. The campsite was about an acre with bathrooms in the middle of it and picnic benches and firepits scattered around it. Several tents and RVs were parked in some of the areas but the Doctor carried Namid to a spot on the right near the back of the campground. Their firewood was there, stacked and ready as he put her down and showed her what it looked like.

"We're gonna sleep here, Daddy?"

"Yup. Well, you can sleep. We adults will more than likely stay up and partay! And once the others catch up with us, I'll go back and get my bike. But I just wanted to talk to you privately and tell you thank you for showing me how much you love me and mum and Doc."

He smiled and sighed contentedly when Namid put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He stood with her until the rest of them caught up with him, dismounted and walked their bikes over towards the campsite.

"Howdy, just needed to chat with Mi-mi, I'll be going and getting my bike now before someone steals it. Just wanted to wait so the Meemster isn't alone."

Go ahead, dear. We're here," Rain said.

The Doctor gave Namid a kiss on the cheek and quickly hurried off to retrieve his bike.

By the time he got back, Jack and Doc had gotten the fire going while Rose and Rain spread the blanket out near it and put the food down on the edge. Alan carefully put Sokanon down on the blanket while the others got on it and sat down. Once they were settled, Rain got the bug repellant out and sprayed the children so the mosquitos wouldn't bother them.

"We bought a couple of citronella candles in that shop over there," Jack said, getting them out of one of the paper sacks. "That way we can eat in peace."

"Good idea," Rose said, glancing over as the Doctor walked his bike across the grass over towards them.

He parked the bike with the others and plopped down on the blanket near his daughters.

"Food!" he said. "Feed me!"

He sniggered when the other adults gave him an odd look.

"Bag!" Rain said, pointing to the sacks. "Serve yourself."

"No, it's easier to have others do it so I don't have to get up."

He grinned and reached for the sack of food while Namid crawled up next to him.

"You gonna get sprayed?" Namid asked him.

"Sprayed? Who sprayed you? Is there a skunk about?" the Doctor said, looking around.

He smelled Namid as she giggled and made a face.

"Ugh, definitely skunk!" he said.

"No, dear, I sprayed them with Off so the mosquitos wouldn't eat them alive. Would you like some?"

"Oh. Um…s'pose so. I don't think I want a mosquito drinking Time Lord blood and becoming some kind of mutant genius mosquito that'll try to take over the world since then I would have to sort it out. Spray me, babe."

Rain grabbed the can of Off and sprayed him as Namid leaned back to avoid getting it in her face. When he was done, she leaned back up while Alan tried yet again to wake up Namid. He laid down on his belly beside her while everyone watched.

"Sokeeee, dumplin', trouser, ding-dong," he said in her ear. "Food is being served, dingle-doodle, time to wake up and have some before we eat it aaaaall up."

"Huh?" Sokanon muttered.

She giggled when Alan started tickling her armpits.

"You know, I've tried the nice way to wake you up and now I must use force, so sad," Alan said, letting out a sigh as Sokanon opened her eyes and batted his arms away. "Aha, there is dinky-dooder now. Finally back in the land of the living. Now it's time to sit that narrow bum up and eat before I get it aaaall!"

The Doctor helped her sit up and rubbed her back while she yawned and slowly woke up.

"Blimey, you must have been spent by the time we got here," the Doctor said.

"Yeah but I had fun," Sokanon said.

They passed out the burgers, chips and sodas and they sat together on the blanket, ate and chatted. While they did, the sun began to set and the mosquitos began to swarm. Jack had lit the citronella candles and place one at each end of the blanket but a few brave ones managed to break through. Namid frowned and batted the air around her head while she tried to eat her burger.

"Daddy, tell the mosquitos to go away and quit buzzing in my ear," she finally said to him.

Everyone laughed at the odd look on the Doctor's face. He leaned forward and got next to Namid's face.

"LEAVE!" he yelled as everyone laughed harder.

He leaned back up.

"Well, did they leave?"

"No," Namid said angrily as she swatted at the air.

"Well see, here's the thing, Mi-mi. Unlike some planets, these insects don't have enough intelligence for me to reason with them. So I can't just say leave and they leave. As long as they're not feasting on you, I'm afraid you're gonna have to put up with the buzzing for awhile till they finally go away. If it's any consolation, you're not the only one with buzzing in your ear. They're around me too."

"Why won't they go though?" Sokanon said. "They can't land on us."

"Yes but you see, Earth scientists haven't figure out how to put something in the bug repellant that will telepathically say to the mosquitos, "Neener, neener, neener, you can't land on me so give up and go away." They're determined to get a meal and until they tire of that there's nothing we can do."

"I'm glad we don't have these stupid mosquitos on New Gallifrey," Sokanon muttered to her siblings while they ate.

After dinner, they cleaned everything up and threw away the trash. By then, the sun had nearly set and the moon was beginning to rise. The Doctor planted his hands behind his body and leaned back to look up at the stars which were just beginning to come out.

"Ah, gorgeous. Gorgeous night," he said as the children scooted closer to him and everyone else sat down. "Now…a bit of an astronomy lesson for the little ones so close your eyes and I'll play planetarium."

The children giggled and closed their eyes along with everyone else. They smiled when the Doctor appeared in everyone's mind's eye.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor and this is astronomy for beginners," he said as he wore an academic gown and mortarboard. "Tonight children we are going to be identifying constellations. Now…"

The image pulled back and everyone could see a starry sky above him. The Doctor pulled out a pointer and pointed to a cluster of stars above him.

"Now this is known as the Plough," he said, pointing to the stars. "Or…as your mum and aunt knows it, the Big Dipper."

White lines connected the stars to show the pattern.

"It is so called because it resembles a plough or to your mum and aunt, a water dipper," he said. "There is also a littler version of this same constellation. It is known as Ursa Minor or the Little Dipper. See…here is the outline of the constellation. Cool, huh? Now…this cluster of stars over here is known as Orion the Hunter and these three stars in the middle are known as Orion's Belt because that's where his belt is on his body."

The image shifted to another part of the sky and the Doctor pointed to a cluster of stars.

"Now…this group of stars is the constellation Big Old Mess because they are just jumbled together in a big indefinable mess."

The children laughed as the white lines went every which way connecting the stars in no real pattern. The Doctor ignored them as he walked past it and pointed to another group of stars.

"Now…This large group of stars is known as Amy Winehouse and the smaller group of stars beside her is known as Amy Winehouse's vomit."

"Geez," Rose said as everyone laughed.

"Over here," the Doctor said as he carried on with his spiel, "is a large constellation called Rehab. Ancients tried to make Amy Winehouse go to the Rehab constellation but she said, no, no, no. Now…"

The Doctor walked to another part of the night sky as the children giggled. The image pulled back and back until the Doctor was dwarfed in the distance. He pulled out a loud hailer and pointed up to an enormous constellation above him. The lines connected the stars and they saw the Doctor's face smiling a cheesy grin.

"Now, this magnificent constellation is called The Most Important Person In The Universe, Ever," he said as everyone laughed. "It is the single greatest constellation known to mankind and the ancients rightfully worshipped it and even performed human sacrifices in honor of its magnificence."

He started to talk again when he suddenly saw a tiny spaceship flying across the sky towards the constellation. The UFO stopped right at the edge of the Doctor's face and steel shields parted to reveal a window. The children giggled when they saw Alan standing at the window. Then suddenly the UFO zoomed into the constellation and the Doctor's mouth fell open when Alan maneuvered it around so the vapor trails made a mustache above Star Doctor's lip. Then he flew up and made devil horns with the vapor trails before flying on.

"Oh ha ha," the Doctor said in real life as everyone laughed hysterically. "Just for that, I'll get you back at some point, mate. Might not be tonight or tomorrow, but someday."

"Don't worry, Uncle Alan, he threatened to do that to me too," Sokanon said.

"I know, he's all blow and no show," Alan said.

"You're gonna think all blow and no show when I tie you to the side of the TARDIS and go into the vortex."

"Better not tempt him to do that, Alan. That's a rough ride," Jack said.

"Anyway, now that my constellation lesson is ruined. What do we do now?" the Doctor said as everyone lay back and looked up at the sky.

"I know!" Chaska said, sitting up.

"Ought-oh, this ougtha be good. What do you have in mind, son?" the Doctor said, glancing at him.

"Race Alan with the bikes. Have a night race."

"Hee hee, I'm up for it if you are," Alan said, glancing at his brother.

"You mean, race him down this trail back into the trees?" the Doctor said.

"Yeah, now that the trail's dark and spooky, race him and see if you see any ghosts."

"P'eh, I seriously doubt we will. At any rate, I'm not in the mood."

He eyed Alan when his brother made clucking sounds.

"You wanna race, race Jack then," the Doctor said.

Alan looked at Jack.

"Man enough to face me on the Dark Bike Trail of Doom?" he said to Jack.

Jack snickered. Everyone laughed when he leapt up and went towards his bike. Alan gleefully followed him and everyone else followed them back to the trail.

"Alan, be careful. I don't want you wrecking the bike and busting your head open," Rose said as she walked behind him.

"I'll be careful, promise. Come on, Harkness, let's see what you're made of!" Alan taunted him as they walked side by side.

They walked the bikes up onto the trail and got on them. The road ahead was lit only by the full moon and around them crickets chirped while a light breeze blew. Up ahead was the trailhead and beyond that the forest. The trees formed a canopy blocking out the light and making the trail dark and sinister looking.

"Alan, be careful," Rose said, staring at the inky blackness ahead.

"What about me?"

"You be careful too."

"She isn't as concerned about you because you can come back to life if you're killed," Alan said flippantly, "Anyway, let's get this show on the road. Brother, will you start us off."

The Doctor picked Namid up and held her while he sent an image in her mind of what was going on.

"On your mark," he said as both Jack and Alan bent over the handlebars and tensed their muscles. "Get set…Go!"

The children cheered when both men took off, pedaling as fast as they could towards the forest. The men zoomed under the trees and everyone waited for them to come back. They heard Alan yelling triumphantly.

"Ha! Beat you!" they heard him say.

"How do you know. We didn't agree on where the end was," Jack said to him. "You just stopped suddenly and said you won."

"I know. I won," Alan was saying.

"Yeah, right, Timelord, guess again," Jack said.

"Here we go, now they'll be arguing about who won for the remainder of the evening," Doc said as they watched the two men pedaling back towards them.

"Brother, care to try your luck?" Alan called to him.

"Come on, Daddy. Use the two person bike and I'll help you," Chaska said, coming up beside him.

The Doctor debated on whether or not they should do that as Jack and Alan came up to them and stopped.

"Brother, wanna try your luck?" Alan said to the Doctor.

"Okay, but only to the trees and I'm using the tandem bike because Chas wants to help me."

"What? Oh no, no helpers," Alan said.

"Yes, I'm gonna help him so there!" Chaska said as the Doctor went to get the bike.

Alan shrugged.

"Still beat ya anyway," he said as he turned his bike around.

He frowned when Jack did the same.

"Three man race…well, four men with Chaska," he said to Alan.

The Doctor walked the tandem bike up beside Alan and turned it as Chaska climbed on behind him.

"Doc, start us off," Alan said.

Doc nodded.

"On your mark…get set…go!" he said.

The three men zoomed away but with Chaska's help, the Doctor pulled away from the pack. Everyone laughed as Alan cursed him as the Doctor and Chaska laughed and sped towards the trees.

"No! No fair!" Alan said as they reached the trees first.

The two of them turned around and Jack snickered as Alan eyed them while they pedaled back.

"Two heads are better than one," the Doctor said smugly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, well in future, we're not using the tandem bike again" Alan said as he and Jack turned and rode back to the others.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty Seven

Walking up the stairs, Frazer softly whistled when he opened the door and walked down the hallway. Cartoon animals stickers were on the walls as he headed for the door and knocked on the door. The door opened when a tall, young woman looked at him and smiled.

"Good morning," he said as she stood back and he walked into the classroom. Being able to see things mystical and magic made him popular with the younger students in the academy and they sat at the center of the room in a circle. Walking to the circle, he stepped over his five year old son, Alexander, as his son giggled and Frazer sat at the center of the circle.

"Good morning, Mister McCrimmon," the students said as he nodded and the teacher, Miss Kathy, sat next to him.

"Right, today we're going tae talk aboot one of Scotland's most famous places, Loch Ness," Frazer said when he brought out a small silver disc and tapped his thumb on the side of the disc. A hologram map of Scotland appeared above the disc as he looked at the five year olds and smiled. "Now, can anyone show me where Loch Ness is?"

"Me!" Alexander said as he raised his hand and Frazer nodded. Alexander got up when he walked to Frazer then looked at the map. Smiling, he pointed as Frazer looked at where he was pointing and nodded.

"Very good," Frazer said as Alexander walked back to the others and sat down. Alexander smiled when a cartoon version of Frazer appeared in his head then walked to him and placed tiny gold stars all over Alexander's face. Pushing the button, they watched as the map shifted and LOCH NESS appeared in a little box that pointed to where the loch was. "Now, a bit of history aboot the loch, first, the loch is what is called a freshwater loch an' its surface is fifty two feet above sea level. It is over twenty miles long an' hundreds of feet deep in places. The loch is notorious for its murkiness as the water is filled with slime, peat, an' mud."

"Ew!" several of the girls in the class said and Frazer softly laughed.

"Does it have fish in it?" one of the boys asked, raising his hand.

"Aye, there are several species of fish," Frazer said as he pushed the button and the hologram changed, showing them several different species of fish. "So, what kind of fish are they?"

"That's a pike!" one of the boys said, pointing to it.

"That's an Arctic char," a girl with blonde hair said, pointing to it.

"Those are brown trout!" one of the boys said.

"Those are sea trout!" another boy said.

"Um, I think that's Atlantic salmon," a girl with brown hair said.

"Those are Eurasian minnow!" a boy said.

"That's a Brook lamprey," a girl said.

"That's a European eel," a boy said and Frazer looked at the last fish.

"Blimey, you're a smart bunch. Can anyone tell me what this is?" he asked as they frowned when Alexander raised his hand and Frazer smiled. "Aye, Master McCrimmon, do you ken what this is?"

"Is it a three-spined stickleback?" he asked.

"Aye, that is exactly what it is," Frazer said, smiling. Pushing the button, the hologram changed and the loch appeared floating over the disc. "Now, there are several villages around the loch. To the north is Lochend, to the south is Fort Augustus, to the eastern shore is Dores, Inverfarigaig, Foyers an' Whitebridge an' to the western shore is Abriachan, Drumnadrochit, Urquhart Castle an' Invermoriston. Now, Drumnadrochit is considered the Loch Ness exhibition center, which examines the controversy through the natural history of Loch Ness. Boat cruises operate from various locations on the loch shore, giving visitors the chance to look for the monster or Nessy."

"The Loch Ness Monster isn't real! You're talking rubbish!" one of the boys said then stuck his tongue out at Frazer and Miss Kathy gasped.

"Michael, you apologize to Mister McCrimmon right now!" she said as Frazer looked at Alexander, who was about to hit Michael, and Frazer shook his head.

"_But, Daddy, that was mean!" _Alexander thought as Frazer set up a privacy block.

"_Aye, but going off an' hitting him will only get you in trouble," _Frazer thought and Alexander sighed.

"It's alright," Frazer said but Miss Kathy shook her head and stood up.

"Disrespect is not tolerated in this classroom. I am sorry but you have to leave," she said and Frazer frowned, turned the silver disc off and stood up. The children watched as Frazer walked to the door then left the room and the door closed behind him. The children glared at Michael as he shrugged and frowned.

"He was," Michael said and Miss Kathy sighed, rolling her eyes.

Drumnadrochit, Scotland

The soft wheezing of the TARDIS filled the air as the TARDIS materialized next to the Loch Ness Exhibition Center and the doors opened, allowing Frazer, Angel and Alexander to walk outside. Alexander came home after class with a swollen lip and a note from Miss Kathy, telling about the fight that broke out after Frazer had left. Alexander wasn't involved with the fight but had been hit by one of the other boys and Miss Kathy had suspended the entire class for two weeks.

"Ah, now this is going tae be fun!" Frazer said as Alexander sadly nodded and he looked down at him. "What's wrong?"

"Well, even if you prove that Nessy is real, they wonae believe you," Alexander said and Frazer sighed, kneeling down in front of him.

"Who says that I want tae prove tae them that Nessy's real?"

"Then who do you want tae prove it tae?"

"I want tae prove it tae you," Frazer said with a sad smile and Alexander smiled back.

"You didnae have tae, Daddy. I ken that it's real," Alexander said and Frazer's eyes went wide as his mouth dropped open.

"You do, do you?" he asked and Alexander nodded.

"Pa-paw Theta told me it's this big Skarasen thing used by the Zygons."

"Ah, but that's nae Nessy. Nessy is something else altogether," Frazer said when he stood up and took Alexander's hand. Angel locked the doors to the TARDIS as they walked down the pavement and headed for the bus terminal. After a short bus ride, they arrived at the small rocky beach that surrounded the loch and Frazer noticed some tourists walking along the rocks, some were chatting as they walked along the beach and others were listening to a tour guide.

"It's beautiful," Angel said while wrapping her arm around Frazer's arm and he nodded. The air was a bit chilly as he looked down at Alexander and pulled the woolen knit cap that Alexander was wearing down a bit on his head. Taking his hand, they walked along the beach as Angel placed her head on Frazer's shoulder and he smiled. Some small children ran by as they walked along when Frazer looked out at the water and blinked. Being blessed, or cursed if someone asked him to describe how he felt about it, with powers like his, Frazer was able to sense anything magical, mystical or mythological and something told him there was something out there just under the surface of the water. "You ok, Bamm-Bamm?"

"Aye, Pebbles, I'm fine," he said as he slightly laughed at them using their childhood names for each other and stood at the edge of the water. He could just hear a soft squeaking sound over the water as he blinked and closed his eyes. He never tried to reach out with his powers before as he felt his body floating in the water and could barely see something moving in the murky water. The high pitched squeaking sound reminded him of whale song but this was sadder and he felt a great sense of sorrow coming from the song. Suddenly a stabbing pain ran through his hearts as he gasped and Angel grabbed onto him to prevent him from falling.

"Frazer?" she asked as they sat down on the ground and Alexander sat on his lap. Frazer panted as he tried to calm down and blinked. "Are you ok?"

"I'm nae sure. I think something just died out there. I felt its heart stop," he said and Alexander wrapped his arms around Frazer's neck, hugging him.

"What do you think it was?" she asked as Frazer rubbed Alexander's back and sighed.

"I dinnae ken," Frazer said then shivered and she kissed his cheek. Standing up, they walked down the beach when they saw some boys playing near some rocks and they looked like they were tossing a rock in the air.

"Ian, you come away from there right now!" a woman called out as the boys dropped whatever they were playing with onto the ground and ran to her. She scolded them as they walked away and Frazer frowned. He let go of Angel and Alexander when he slowly walked to where the boys were playing and looked down at what was lying in the sand. On the small rocks was an egg capsule, or a mermaid's purse, and it was the size of a football. It was covered in a hard black shell with small barnacles stuck to it and it smell like rotting fish. Kneeling down, he removed his sonic screwdriver from the pocket of his jacket and scanned the egg capsule.

"What is that, Daddy?" Alexander asked as they walked closer and Frazer placed the sonic screwdriver away.

"I think it's an egg." Frazer said when the egg capsule started shaking and his eyes went wide. "An' I think it's aboot tae hatch!"


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty Eight

After the bike race they settled back down and rested awhile while they talked. Chaska and Christopher became restless and began to walk around the campsite while Sokanon and Namid lay next to their mother and talked. The Doctor kept a watchful eye on them as they walked over to the road and stood by the side looking off to their right. He noticed Chaska was talking to Christopher and pointing down to the woods. They talked for a moment and then both boys walked back to the campsite.

"Hey, Daddy, can we walk down to the woods. I wanna show Chris how spooky they are," Chaska asked the Doctor.

"Well, I dunno. I need you to stay here and keep the fire from going out, chop wood, that sort of thing," the Doctor said, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"Nuh-uh," Chaska said while everyone laughed. "Come on, Daddy, you can go with us."

"I've already seen the spooky forest, why would I need to go again?" the Doctor said. "There's nothing in there but trees and rocks and darkness. It isn't like there's an axe murderer waiting to jump out at ya. If you wanna walk down, go ahead, I'll just stay here and snooze away."

"No, come on, Daddy. Come with us."

"Yeah, come on, Daddy. Come and see the spooky woods," Christopher said to Alan.

"Um, I've also seen the spooky woods and it didn't impress me," Alan said.

"Doc, come and see the woods," Chaska said, walking over to him.

They laughed as Doc threw up his hands.

"Okay, since you desperately need to have someone see these spooky woods, I'll come," he said, getting up.

Alan got up with him and stretched his back.

"Aw, what the hell, I feel like taking a walk. Starlight, will you walk with me?" he said.

Rose nodded and got up. The Doctor did the same.

"Yeah, walk sounds good. Latara?"

"Kids, you wanna take a walk with us?" Rain asked Sokanon and Namid.

"Yeah," Sokanon said, getting up. "Come on, Mi-mi."

"Jack?" the Doctor said to him.

"I better not. Someone has to stay behind and keep an eye on the fire and I've seen the spooky woods. You go ahead," he said.

"We won't be long, we just want to take a walk and see what all the fuss is about," Rain said to him.

"There's absolutely no fuss which is why I'm staying here by the nice, warm fire," Jack said. "But you crazy kids have fun!"

Namid took her mother's hand and they followed Christopher and Chaska back to the road. They turned and walked down it, heading for the dense forest.

"Oooo-eee-oooooo," Alan said as they got nearer. "Ooo, maybe there are ghosts in here!"

"Or maybe there's nothing but trees and darkness," Rose said.

"Aw, Starlight, you gotta know when you travel with a Time Lord, adventure pops out at unexpected moments."

"Mmm, well, I'm not holding my breath," Rose said as Rain giggled.

"I don't know what you're worried about. I walk around in the dark all the time," Namid said. "It doesn't bother me."

Suddenly in her mind's eye, she saw Alan peeking in off to her right and the Doctor peeking in off to her left.

"Bwah!" Mental Alan said as he thrust out his arms. "Scared now?"

"Oi, leave my daughter alone," Mental Doctor said. "Scaring her is my job."

He opened his mouth and revealed a pair of vampire fangs before a cloud of smoke enveloped him and he turned into a huge bat.

"IT'S ONE OF THE ENDANGERED CAVE BATS!" Mental Alan said.

Namid giggled as Mental Alan chased Mental Doctor around with a net saying, "Come back here, I wanna sell you on the black market and see how much you're worth!"

While Mental Alan chased Doctor Bat around inside Namid's mind, the others reached the edge of the woods.

"Beware, we are entering haunted woods," Alan said with an ominous expression on his face.

"Yeah, right, sure we are," Rain said.

"Aw, play along, Rain," the Doctor said, nudging her.

The children laughed when Rain suddenly thrust herself onto her husband.

"No, I'm scared! Protect me!" she said as the other adults laughed.

She grinned at the shocked expression on his face.

"You said to play along," she said with a shrug.

He took her hand and took Sokanon's hand as they walked under the trees. The moon was high in the sky providing a little illumination but not much.

"Whoa, it's dark in here," Christopher said, looking around.

"Boo!" his father said, spinning around.

"I know it's you, Daddy. I can still see you," Christopher said, rolling his eyes.

He giggled when Alan picked him up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before setting him down and taking his hand.

"Okay, anyone brave enough to walk forward?" Alan said, pointing to the darkness in front of them.

They laughed when Namid started walking.

"I can't see anything but darkness so I'm not scared," she said as she strode confidently forward. "See, I'm not scared, just like Daddy."

"Yup, this is definitely your child," Rose said to the Doctor as she kept on walking.

Namid froze when she heard something moving through the trees on her left side.

"Get out of there, Uncle Alan, you're not gonna scare me," she yelled.

"I'm not over there!" Alan said as everyone laughed. "I'm back here with your dad watching you, ya daft woman! Not everything in the world is my doing!"

"Well, what was that then?" Namid said, looking back at them.

"I suspect it was a forest creature walking through the trees and now the poor thing's probably had a heart attack after you screamed at it for no good reason," Alan said.

The Doctor grinned and ran up to her side.

"Come on, we'll be brave together," he said, taking her hand.

The other children ran up to him and they all marched together down the darkened path. Alan snickered and ran up behind Namid.

"Bwah!" he yelled. "There, that was me."

Namid tried to swat at him as he walked around her and gave her a kiss on the top of the head. He got in front of the Doctor and stopped him.

"Wrestle in the dark?" he said.

"Nah, I don't wanna break all your bones. This way, children, follow me around the loony."

Alan's mouth dropped open as they walked around him. Rain grinned and ran up to her husband. The children laughed when she smacked his head and ran back to Rose and Doc.

"Oi, quit abusing me!" the Doctor said to her as they walked.

Rain chuckled. She ran back up to him and imitated the blue bird by bumping him in the ass and then circling around her while she chirped.

"Oh yeah?" the Doctor said as the children laughed.

The children laughed harder when the two of them imitated the mating dance.

"What a good idea. Come here, Starlight!" Alan yelled as he took off after her.

Rose laughed and ran back out of the woods with Alan in hot pursuit. He caught up with her and grabbed her around the middle, showering her with kisses on her cheeks.

"So do I impress you enough to build a nest and have my eggs?" he said in her ear.

"Oh yeah," Rose said.

Alan kissed her again and grinned as he gave her one more squeeze and let her go just as everyone else came back out. He and Rose held hands as the group went back to their campsite for the night.

"That was fun," Jack said as the TARDIS appeared in front of him. "But then again, it's always fun with you guys."

"Are we gonna do something else, Daddy?" Sokanon asked the Doctor.

"We'll see. For now, Doc and I have to go get those parts we were trying to get before we were interrupted," he said as he unlocked the door and let them go by with the bikes.

He grabbed his bike and followed in after them. He paused just inside when he saw Namid.

"I had fun, Daddy," she said to him.

"Good, I'm glad and we'll have more fun as soon as I think of something else but for now you need to go home and have a bit more rest, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy."

The Doctor smiled at her. He closed the door, led his bike up the ramp and took her hand as he walked with her to the console and programmed in the coordinates for home.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty Nine

"Okey-dokey, have we got everything together?" Alan asked as they loaded their fishing rods and tackle boxes into Daisy.

He, Rose and his six year old son Christopher were going on their three month trip to Quasi, a resort planet that had one of Alan's favorite fishing holes. Quasi had a large reservoir that stocked all sorts of fish in addition to renting out fishing boats and equipment. Alan had discovered it a few years ago and fell in love with the place as well as the local fish, the Zarbon which had juicy, tender flesh. For him, it was a time for him and his family to relax and bond away from New Gallifrey.

As he finished putting his fishing pole in the corner of the console room, he looked down when Christopher tugged on his trouser leg.

"Yes?"

"Can Uncle Doctor and Uncle Doc and Aunt Rain and my cousins come with us this time? I want someone to talk to while I fish," he said.

"You mean you don't wanna talk to me? Aren't I interesting enough for ya?"

He feigned shock when Christopher shook his head and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll ask em but it's up to them if they wanna go or not," Alan said. "Dunno about the Doctor, fishing might be a bit too slow-paced for him. But I would like to show them the reservoir since it's so lovely. Just wait a tic and I'll contact him telepathically."

Meanwhile at the Doctor's house, the Doctor and his immediate family were having breakfast. The Doctor had a daily habit of selecting a random date in time and buying newspapers from several countries just to see what was going on that day. He was currently perusing a copy of the London Times from June 15th, 2010 while Rain fixed breakfast. In addition to the real newspapers, the TARDIS provided a fake newspaper in Braille for Namid since she became interested in the newspapers over a year ago and the Doctor figured it was a great opportunity for her to practice her reading skills as well as including her in the morning ritual. Chaska hadn't shown any real interest but Sokanon loved reading the Los Angeles Times so she could see if they mentioned celebrities she liked. He also got newspapers from New York, Tokyo, Iran, Australia, Canada and Mexico.

While he read, the triplets came into the room and clustered around him.

"Yeeeees?" the Doctor said as he kept his eyes on his paper.

He smiled when the children kissed his cheeks before going to their seats.

"Thanks muchly for that," he said as he turned the page of his newspaper.

He took a sip of his tea while Rain gave the children plates with eggs, bacon and toast on it. She poured them some milk, gave it to them then fixed a plate and a glass of milk for herself and sat down.

"Anything good in the newspaper today?" she asked him.

"Oil spill in the gulf," the Doctor said. "They're trying to get it cleaned up and Obama is furious, as well he should be."

"What happened?" Sokanon asked him.

"There was an explosion on this oil rigger explosion out by the United States. It killed eleven people and leaked massive amounts of oil into the ocean and caused an ecological disaster. It was cleaned up eventually but this was when humans got serious about finding alternative sources of fuel besides oil."

"Where's my newspaper, Daddy?" Namid asked.

The Doctor lowered his paper, found her Braille paper amid the stacks of paper and gave it to her. Namid laid it out beside her plate and used one finger to read while she ate. Five minutes in she began giggling.

"What is it, Honey?" Rain asked.

"Um, the TARDIS paper says that Daddy is a weirdo and she's tired of him flying her because he gets jam all over her."

"I do not," the Doctor said as everyone laughed. "The TARDIS is a huge liar."

Namid took a bite of toast as she continued to read with her fingers. While she did, Sokanon walked over, looked through the newspapers and took the LA one.

"Did I say you could have that before I finished with it?" the Doctor said, not lowering his paper.

"No, but I'm gonna take it anyway," Sokanon said, hurrying back to her seat.

"Insolence. That's all there is in this household, insolence and anarchy," the Doctor said.

He lowered the paper and eyed Namid when she giggled again.

"Now what does that lying TARDIS say?"

"It says…the TARDIS said to this newspaper that the Doctor is very dirty and likes to pee in her corners and she can't get the smell out."

"I'm gonna kill her!" the Doctor said as everyone else bent over laughing. "When I asked her to make up these newspapers for you, I didn't realize she was going to start making fun of me with them. I'm gonna definitely have a talk with her when I go back out there."

"Now she says you take poo and paint smiley faces on her walls."

Rain laughed as the Doctor gave her an exasperated look.

"You know sometimes sentient ships can be a pain in the bum," he said to her as the children giggled.

"What's that about you and poo?" Doc asked as he came into the kitchen.

The Doctor explained what was going on and Doc chuckled as he got the eggs out of the refrigerator.

"Even your TARDIS has relaxed after being a part of this family," he said as he cracked two eggs on the counter. "Makes me glad I joined up with you lot."

"I'm glad you joined too, Dada," Namid said.

Doc grinned at that and sent love into her mind.

"Hurry up and read that newspaper. I wanna know what other insults the TARDIS thought up about me," the Doctor said as Namid giggled.

She went back to reading and eating her breakfast and the Doctor did the same. As the Doctor read, he felt a privacy block go up around his mind.

Good morning, my brother, are you awake? Alan thought to him.

Yup. And a good morning to you as well, the Doctor thought back.

Aw, thanks. Listen, are you and the others in the household doing anything special today?

We haven't thought of anything yet, why?

Christopher wants you to come with us on a fishing trip. We go to Quasi every so often to get some of that delicious Zarbon that I gave to you that one day.

Oh yes, I remember. It was delicious. We all enjoyed it.

Then come with us. You don't have to bring any equipment, they rent there and I'll rent everything you need including a boat if you want to go out on the lake. And there's a splendid restaurant that'll grill your catch and serve it to you. Interested?

I am but drop the block and let the others in on this, the Doctor thought.

Alan dropped the block and thought to the others about his plan.

"I don't know how to fish, Daddy," Sokanon said.

"Me neither," Chaska added.

"I can teach you," the Doctor said.

"And so can I. Count me in. I wouldn't mind spending a day fishing and catching some of that Zarbon."

"Rain? Interested?" the Doctor said.

"Yes, sounds like a nice, relaxing day. I'm in."

The Doctor thought to Alan and told him they were interested.

Brilliant, he thought back. We'll bring Daisy over so you don't have to come to our house and then we'll take you to Quasi for a fun-filled day. Over and out.

"You heard em, you lot. Hurry up and eat so we can go on this fishing trip," the Doctor said to the others when Alan cut off contact with him.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter Forty

Frazer held Alexander to his side as the mermaid's purse shook then cracked and green ooze fell to the ground. They watched as a small head peeked out from under the shell then wiggled free and tiny black eyes blinked at them. Wiggling and carefully squirming out of the shell, a creature the size of a small eel lifted its long neck and titled its head side to side. It made a soft squeaking sound as it flapped its flippers on the ground and swayed its tail side to side. It was covered in a soft black skin with a slit for a mouth and two slits for a nose. The back of the creature has a small hump and four flippers held it up.

"Is that Nessy, Daddy?" Alexander asked softly as Frazer gently removed the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and scanned the creature. It made soft growling sounds then tried to bite the sonic screwdriver and Frazer laughed.

"Hey now, I wasnae trying tae hurt you," he said then placed the sonic screwdriver away, patting the top of the creature's head.

"What is it?" Angel asked as the creature sniffed Frazer's feet then Alexander's feet and Alexander gently patted its head.

"Well, its nae a kelpie," Frazer said when he noticed someone coming down the beach and took his jacket off. The creature yelped as he covered it with the coat and hushed it. Carefully standing up, he held the coat in his arms as a man walked closer and looked angry.

"What are you doing?" Angus McFaye asked and Angel reached into her purse and brought out her psychic paper, showing it to him.

"Animal Rescue," she said as he looked at the paper and blinked. "We found an injured animal and are taking it to get medical attention."

"You take bairn on animal rescues?" he asked as he looked at Alexander and Frazer smiled.

"Aye, a regular Steve Irwin, me," Frazer said and hoped that Angus had watched the Crocodile Hunter at some point and Angus sighed.

"Well, best be on your way then," Angus said as they nodded and Angel noticed the patch over the pocket of his jacket. It read AQUATECH and she made a mental note to ask the Doctor or Jack if they had ever heard of it. Nodding, they headed down the beach when they headed for the bus stop and Angel looked at Frazer.

"Ok, how are we going to get that onto the bus?" she asked as he smiled and she just see the wheels in his mind moving.

"I can't believe you just told the driver we had a Loch Ness monster in your jacket," she teased as they walked down the hallway and Frazer smiled.

"Well, we got it here, didnae we?" he asked as they walked inside the medical bay and headed for the examination table. Alexander crawled onto the stool as he sat across from Frazer and Frazer opened the jacket, gently rolling the creature onto the examination table. Blinking, it looked around when Frazer noticed that the creature's skin was a gray color and touched the skin. It felt hard and stiff as he sighed and frowned. "Its skin's drying out."

"We need some…" Angel said when a spray bottle filled with water appeared in front of Alexander and Angel looked at the ceiling. "Thank you, Girl."

"Can I do it, Daddy?" Alexander said and Frazer nodded. Smiling, Alexander started spraying the water over the creature's skin and it purred, closing its eyes. Frazer carefully placed a scanner collar around the base of its neck as the creature looked down and he patted its head.

"There's na' tae be scared of," he whispered and the creature blinked its eyes. Frazer looked at the scanner as the information appeared and he frowned. "What is that?"

"What?" Angel asked as she looked at the screen and he pointed to the green glob. A syringe appeared on the examination bed as he looked at it and picked it up. The information appeared on the screen as he nodded and looked at the creature.

"Angel, hold its head still for a second," he said as she took hold of the creature's head and it whimpered. Pinching a bit of the creature's skin, Frazer injected a blue liquid into the creature and it yelped. Gently patting the skin, Frazer sent love and comfort into its mind and the creature growled at him. "Sorry."

"What did you do, Daddy?" Alexander asked, patting the creature.

"I had tae give it an antitoxin tae counter the poison in its system."

"What poison?" Angel asked and Frazer looked at the screen.

"According tae this, it was a level three toxin of some sort. Luckily, the TARDIS has a wide variety of antitoxins and it is going tae be just fine."

"But where did it get exposed to toxins?"

"Well, there was a wee crack in the mermaid's purse. It might have leaked in just before hatching."

"An' Loch would have died if we hadnae found him aye, Daddy?" Alexander asked as he patted the soft skin and Angel looked at Frazer with a slightly concerned look on her face.

"Um, Xandy, I dinnae think it's a good idea tae give it a name," Frazer said and Alexander frowned.

"Why nae?" he asked.

"Well, for one thing, we're not going to keep it, Honey," Angel said as she walked to Alexander and slid her arms around him.

"Aye, we can keep him in our pool at home!"

"Och," Frazer sighed when he typed on the keyboard and looked at the screen. Images rolled on the screen when it stopped and he looked at the picture on the screen. "Hmmm, Angel, come look at this."

Angel walked to Frazer when she looked at the screen and on the screen was a drawing of a Plesiosaurus.

"Hmmm, it does look like Loch," she said as he looked at her and smiled.

"Dinnae you start," he said when Alexander walked to him and stood on his tiptoes, trying to see what they were looking at. Frazer picked him up as he held him in his arms and Alexander looked at the screen.

"What is that, Daddy?" he asked, pointing to the screen.

"That is a Plesiosaurus. It is a marine Sauropterygian reptile that lived during the early part of the Jurassic Period. It has a small head, a long, slender neck, a broad turtle like body, a short tail and two pair of large, elongated flippers."

"Just like Loch," Alexander said with a grin and Frazer smiled.

"Well, I'm nae sure if that's what Loch is," Frazer said when he placed Alexander down and looked at the scanner. He checked the scans with he noticed something unusual and blinked. "Now what is that thing?"

"It looks like a womb," Angel said, looking at the screen.

"Does that mean Loch's a Nessie?" Frazer asked with a smile.

"Either that or some sort of creature that is male and female."

"What does that mean?" Alexander asked and they looked at each other, forgetting that he was in the room.

"It means Loch has Daddy parts an' Mommy parts," Frazer said and Angel glared at him.

"_Well, what did you want me tae tell him?" _he thought after setting up a privacy block. Suddenly Loch made a loud squeal as they noticed that it was about to fall off the examination table and Frazer ran to the examination table, catching it.

"Where do you think you're going, eh?" he teased as he placed Loch on the floor and it waddled around, looking at everything.

"I think we need to find Loch a placed to stay so we can figure out what we're going to do next," Angel said and Frazer nodded. Walking to Loch, he carefully lifted Loch up as they left the room and Frazer noticed that the TARDIS had moved the pool room so it was across the hall from the medical bay. The water had been changed into fresh water and a small rock island floated at the center of the pool. Frazer placed Loch down as it sniffed the air then waddled toward the pool. A small ramp led to the water as Loch waddled down the ramp and slid into the water.

"He went into the water," Alexander said with a grin and Frazer knelt next to him, watching Loch swimming in the water. Suddenly Loch dived to the bottom of the pool then swam upward and jumped out of the water. Loch did a flip then dived back into the water and the water sprayed into the air, falling lightly back into the pool. Alexander clapped as Angel and Frazer laughed while Loch came to the surface and blinked at them. Going on its back, Loch clapped its front flippers as it made a gurgling sound and Frazer gently hugged Alexander.

Angel brought a cup of tea into the medical bay while Frazer sat at the screen and looked at the information on the toxin. Walking to Frazer, she kissed his neck as he sat up and smiled at her.

"Where is Xandy?" he asked, taking the cup from her and sipped on the tea.

"He's taking a kip," she said as she looked at the screen and blinked. "Still no idea where that toxin came from?"

"Nope," Frazer said as he shook his head and sighed.

"I think we should call my dad or your grandfather and see what they think," Angel said as he sipped on the tea then placed the cup on the examination bed.

"I already sent them the copies of our findings an' Pa-paw said that he's never seen anything like it."

"What about my dad?"

"He said he'll show them tae…" Frazer said when there was a flash of light and they turned around, seeing Jack, Gwen and Ianto standing behind them. 'What are you doing here?"

"Your grandfather sent me what you found," Jack said as he walked to the screen and looked at the information. "Yep, just as I thought, it's kelnarium,' Jack said and they looked at him.

"What is kelnarium?" Angel asked.

"It is a bio-toxin. I saw it used a few times during my time with the Time Agency."

"How did it get here?" Angel asked.

"I don't know," Jack sighed when Angel remembered something and tapped him.

"Have you ever heard of Aquatech?" she asked and Jack frowned.

"No, never heard of it," Jack said when Ianto head something and looked across the hall at Loch.

"Jack," he said as Jack walked to him and looked at where he was pointing.

"Whoa, what is that?" Jack said with wide eyes and grinned.

"That is Loch," Angel said as she walked closer and they walked into the hallway. "We found it on the beach near Loch Ness and brought it here after it hatched from its egg."

"Oh, it's so cute!" Gwen said as she knelt down then slowly reached out to touch Loch but felt something blocking her and frowned.

"The TARDIS set up a force field so it won't go wandering around the TARDIS," Angel said and Gwen nodded. The force field lowered as Loch waddled into the hallway and looked up at them. It made soft squeaking noises as Gwen knelt down and gently patted its head.

"Where are its mother and father?" Ianto asked and Frazer sighed, leaning on the doorway.

"I think its parent's dead," he said then told them what he felt while using his power.

"Oh, the poor thing," Gwen said, stroking the soft skin.

"So, where did you get a sample of the kelnarium?" Jack asked.

"It was in Loch's bloodstream. Luckily, the TARDIS has the anti-toxin or he would have died," Angel said and Jack nodded.

"And you found Loch at the…loch," Jack said with a grin and Frazer nodded. "Then I guess we're taking a trip to the shore."

"Do you want us tae come with you?" Frazer asked.

"I think Yan and I should go while you and Gwen check out Aquatech," Jack said and Frazer nodded. Watching Ianto and Jack walking down the hallway, Frazer and Gwen went into the medical bay and Angel led Loch back into the pool room.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter Forty One

Aquatech was a three story brick building with tinted black windows and a security fence encircled the building. CCTV cameras were posted every few feet along the fence and a soft humming sound filled the air from the electric barbed wire at the top of the fence. Jack had found a car rental place in town as the car headed for the guard station and the guard walked out of the guard station, walking toward the car. Jack rolled down the window as he grinned at the guard and the guard leaned over, looking into the car.

"Hi there, mind if we have a look around?" Jack said as Ianto slightly smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Sorry but this is private property," the guard said and Jack nodded.

"I think this will override what passes for private around here, Mate," Jack said as he showed him his Torchwood identification and the guard's eyes went wide. "Now, be a good little guard and open the gate!"

Nodding, the guard walked to the guard station and went inside. The gate opened while the car moved along the path and Jack smiled. The car stopped in front of the stairs leading to the door as they got out of the car and Jack took the stairs two at a time.

"This isn't a race, you know," Ianto said, shaking his head and Jack shrugged. Walking inside the air conditioned hallway, they walked down the hallway and their footsteps echoed as they walked. The walls were stark white as was the tile on the floor and the ceiling and bulb lights were embedded in the ceiling. AQUATECH was painted along the wall to the left in blue lettering and Jack noticed that there was no sign of a reception desk.

"What kind of business has no receptionist?" he muttered and Ianto shrugged.

"Maybe it's run by an automated reception system," he said but something told Jack that things didn't appear as they seem and he frowned.

"I never trust those things. I like having a little one to one with someone," he said and slid Ianto's hand into his. Ianto blushed as Jack smiled and swung his hand back and forth.

"_We can have a little one to one later," _Ianto thought and Jack gently bumped into him.

"Right, where is the boss then?" Jack asked, looking around.

"I'm right here," Angus McFaye said as he walked into the hallway and several, armed guards appeared behind him, pointing their guns at Jack and Ianto.

"Frazer?" Angel called when she walked into the garden room and saw Frazer sitting on the ground. His legs were folded in a lotus position while the back of his hands rested on top of his thighs and he had his eyes closed. She softly walked closer when she knelt down on the ground and saw the sweat trickling down his bare chest. The room was hot and the steam rose from the ground. She thought how sexy he looked glowing in the dim light and moved a finger through the sweat on his chest. Gasping, he opened his eyes and smiled at her. "What are you doing?"

"I was meditating," he said as she looked at the chain around his neck and the dim light shimmered on the charms and crystals. His godmother had given him the chain centuries ago as she saw the light dancing in the blue crystal and she sighed. She hated that he wore it and had tried to get rid of the chain, but it always returned to his neck.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she moved closer and moved her hands along his bare shoulders.

"If someone has dumped toxins into the loch then she is going tae find out aboot it. When that happens…" he sighed and she nodded. Frazer's godmother was a fey called M'Yari and she controlled all things that lived in the water and unicorns were her prized processions.

"But she can't come unless you call her," she said and Frazer nodded.

"The thing is I have no control over it. It's like she makes me call her," he said as Angel fingered the necklace and he saw the anger in her eyes.

"I hate this thing," she growled and he nodded.

"I ken that you do."

"I wish you could just throw it into a black hole and we'd never see it again."

"Tried that once but it came back," he teased and she gently pushed him onto his back. She softly kissed his lips as the steam grew thicker and the sound of laughter filled the air.

"Look, this doesn't have to get messy. We just want to talk," Jack said with his hands up in front of him and Angus folded his arms across his chest.

"So talk then," he said and Jack lowered his hands while the guards lowered their guns.

"First off, I am Captain Jack Harkness and this is Ianto Jones."

"I ken who you are, Captain," Angus said and Jack frowned.

"You do?" Jack asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Aye, you ruined one of my operations a few years ago. Does space whale meat ring any bells?" Angus asked as Ianto and Jack looked at each other and remembered the time a space whale had fallen through the rift and was used as a cash cow. Owen had killed it out of mercy but they never learned who had funded the men that were torturing the poor creature.

"You bastard!" Jack growled as he walked forward then stopped when the guards raised their guns again.

"Why are you here?" Angus asked.

"Kelnarium," Jack said and Angus blinked.

"Never heard of it," Angus said and Jack frowned.

"Sure you have. So, tell me, where did you get it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking aboot. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work tae do," Angus said when he turned and head down the hallway. "Kill them."

Ianto dived into the office to his left while the guards fired their guns and Jack grunted. Ianto watched as Jack fell to the floor and blood pooled under him. The office was empty but the window was open as he looked at Jack then at the window and sighed.

"_Yan…run!" _Jack thought before his mind blinked out and Ianto ran to the window, jumping out and rolled on the ground. Getting up, he ran as the gunfire flew over his head and he ran around the corner. Running for the car, he took the keys out of his pocket as he ran faster and unlocked the door. He got inside the car while the guards came out of the building and he started the car. Looking over his shoulder, he backed the car up as he turned the wheel then hit the gas and the car zoomed down the path. The security guard waved his arms for Ianto to stop while the car zoomed toward him and the security guard swore, diving out of the way. The car roared down the road as Ianto held the wheel tightly in his hands and tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Careful!" Angel said while Alexander held onto Loch and Loch swam around in a small circle. Alexander giggled while Loch purred and Frazer sat on the side of the pool, videotaping them. Angel swam toward Loch as it dived under the water and she held Alexander in her arms.

"Where did Loch go, Mommy?" he asked as she squinted and saw that Loch was heading toward Frazer.

"Frazer, put the camera down!" she shouted as he turned it off and placed the camera to his left. Suddenly Loch popped out of the water as it gently pushed Frazer onto his back and licked Frazer's face.

"Ack, ok, stop," he laughed and Loch slid back into the water. It gently slid its mouth around Frazer's leg as it softly pulled on it and Frazer nodded, sliding into the water. Loch's head popped up as it looked at him then at Angel and Alexander and Frazer nodded. They swam to them as Angel smiled and Frazer dived under the water. Loch looked down when it dived underwater and swam after him. They swam to the bottom of the pool while Frazer floated in front of Loch and Loch tilted its head to one side. Frazer nodded as Loch swam around then over him and Frazer gently brushed his fingers over the skin. He has set his respiratory bypass system as they swam under water when Loch pushed him then looked up and he nodded. Angel softly laughed when they surfaced and Frazer patted Loch's head.

"Show off," she teased and Frazer shrugged. Suddenly they felt Jack's mind blink out and the worry in Ianto's mind and swam for the ladder. Alexander had held onto Loch when Frazer picked him out of the water and Loch looked at them. It seemed to sense something was wrong as it started whimpering and Angel knelt down, stroking the soft skin.

"I'll go see what happened," Frazer said, placing Alexander down as she nodded and Frazer ran out of the room. Running into the control room, Frazer heard the doors open and Ianto ran inside. Closing the doors behind him, Ianto ran to the console when he started pushing buttons and Frazer noticed that he had been crying.

"Where's Gwen?" Ianto asked when Gwen ran into the room and headed for the console.

"What happen?" she asked.

"We went to Aquatech. Gwen, Jack's…he…Jack's dead!" he shouted and Gwen rubbed his back.

"He'll be ok," she said as Ianto nodded and Frazer walked closer.

"What did you find out aboot Aquatech?" Frazer asked.

"Not much. They were the ones that were hurting that space whale," Ianto said and Gwen gasped.

"No," she said and Ianto nodded. Gwen told Frazer about the space whale and his eyes turned black.

"Those bastards," he said and Ianto nodded. They then felt Jack's mind click back on as Ianto smiled and wiped his eyes.

"_Jack, are you ok?" _Gwen thought.

"_Yep, but I think we're going to need the big guns," _Jack thought.

"_You mean…?" _Ianto thought and felt Jack sending love into his mind.

"_Yep, we're going to need the Doctor!" _Jack thought and Ianto reached into his pocket and took his cell phone out, flipped it open and pushed the buttons.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter Forty Two

The Doctor led Namid to the TARDIS.

"I have an idea on how to help you fish, Rainbow. A piece of specialized equipment that my TARDIS can manufacture," he said to her as they walked inside. "Not to mention I wanna have a talk with her about the newspaper," he added as Namid giggled. "What's this about me peeing in the corners and putting poo on your walls?"

The TARDIS grumbled out laughter and nudged both their minds.

"I asked you to make those newspapers to help Namid with her reading skills, not take the mickey out of me."

_I'm sorry, Beloved, I won't do it again,_ the TARDIS thought to him.

He raised his eyebrow.

"Why don't I believe you?" he asked as she grunted out laughter. "Anyway, we're going on a fishing trip and I need a special fishing pole for Mi-mi here. I was thinking about a bobber that will beep when a fish bites the hook so she knows when to reel it in. Think you can do that for me."

_For Namid, anything,_ the TARDIS thought to him.

There was a short wait and then a flash and a small fishing pole appeared next to the console. It was blue with Ariel from The Little Mermaid on the reel. The bobber was larger than a normal bobber and when the Doctor pulled on the hook a loud beeping noise emanated from it.

"Brilliant, just what I need, thanks old girl. And behave yourself with those newspapers."

The TARDIS grunted and stroked his mind affectionately as the Doctor took Namid's hand.

"Come with me. I have my fishing gear in the TARDIS attic," he said to her.

They walked down several corridors until the Doctor came to a door.

"Stay by my side, there are some things that are dangerous up here," he said as he opened the door.

"Ooo, sounds scary, Daddy," she said in a hushed voice.

The Doctor chuckled.

"It is, it's very scary," he said as he helped her ascend some stairs up to the attic. "There are all manner of scary things and beasties in my attic."

When they reached the cavernous attic, the Doctor guided his daughter over to a podium near the stairs. On it was a large leather bound book that served as the log book for the items in the attic. The Doctor opened it and turned the pages, his eyes rapidly scanning for any mention of his fishing gear. Namid listened to the turning of the pages and scrunched up her face.

"Phew, it smells here," she said.

"That's because I rarely come up here," the Doctor said to her as he scanned the pages. "I don't normally use the stuff that goes up here which is why I have to check this log book to find out where I put my fishing equipment."

"You need to clean up here. It stinks," Namid said.

"No, don't wanna," the Doctor said.

"Yes, you clean," she said as he chuckled.

"No, don't wanna. I like it filthy and smelly and there's nothing you can do about it."

He gasped when Namid gave him a playful slap on the leg and he tickled her briefly before he returned his attention back to the log book.

"Aha! Found it," he said, putting his finger on an entry. "Follow me, Rainbow."

He led her away from the podium.

"Ooo-eee, stinky!" Namid said as the Doctor chuckled. "You clean!"

"No, don't wanna!" the Doctor said happily as he led her towards his fishing gear.

His fishing gear was in a corner next to a specially commissioned Rembrandt of the Doctor's fourth life. He bent down and checked his black, battered tackle box to see what lures he had. Satisfied that he had the proper equipment, he closed it and handed it to Namid.

"Carry this for me, will ya? I'll get my fishing rod and net," he said to her.

"I'll carry it if you stop making this room be stinky."

"Oh you," the Doctor said as he tickled her. "You don't have to worry about the stinky room anymore since we're leaving."

"Good, cause it's stinky."

"Yeah, yeah," the Doctor said with mock exasperation.

Namid took the tackle box and the Doctor grabbed his fishing pole and net and they walked towards the stairs.

"I'm so glad you're going with us," Alan said to the Doctor when Daisy landed in their garage. "It was Chris's idea but I love showing you our favorite fishing spot. I was a bit surprised that you accepted, truth be told."

"Why?" the Doctor asked.

"Well, I figured you would want something more exciting than a day of fishing."

"I like to fish, you know that. Besides, I'm always on the lookout for something for the children to do besides taking them to funfairs. Fishing will be good for them."

"Precisely why I take Chris there," Alan said.

"I brought my own fishing gear and I have a special fishing rod for Mi-mi with a bobber that beeps if a fish takes the bait. The rest I'll get when we get there."

"Splendid!" Alan said.

"And I need to tell you what my TARDIS has been doing behind my back! You oughta see the lies she makes up when she creates Mi-mi's Braille newspapers."

"Oh? What sort of lies?"

The Doctor went into the kitchen and came back out with the newspaper.

"Read this," he said, handing him the paper.

Alan took the paper, sat down on his sofa and laid the newspaper out. He ran his fingers across the Braille, reading it. A smirk spread over his face as he read the first article.

"You pee in her corners and throw poo on the wall, do ya?" he said with glee.

"According to her, I do," the Doctor said.

"Well, I think she's reliable. I'll believe her and say naughty boy, quit urinating and defecating on the TARDIS, that's not how you repay her for centuries of loyal service."

He giggled when the Doctor swatted his head. They paused and noticed Chaska and Christopher were laughing and talking to one another.

"See, this is why he wanted you lot along with us. So he can have his partner in crime," Alan said to the Doctor.

"I wouldn't talk since you're always hanging around me."

Alan stared at his pointed look.

"Yes, well, I have to stay around you," Alan said. "If I don't, my right hand begins to itch and my mind screams out that it must reconnect with your arm. Don't know why it does that but it's incredibly annoying so I end up spending oodles of time with you."

"Well, you could always chop that hand off and save yourself from the madness," the Doctor said.

Alan looked down at his hand.

"Nah, too painful," he said, shaking his head.

He looked down when Sokanon came up to him.

"Now this thing here, she'll make good bait," Alan said, pointing to her. "We'll put her on a hook and let the fish have a go at her."

"No, we'll do that to you," Sokanon replied.

"Me? I'm valuable. You can't afford to lose me. You on the other hand are one of three and no one will miss ya if we throw you overboard."

Sokanon walked over to the Doctor's side.

"Nah, Daddy won't let you do that," she said.

"Or will he?"

Alan sniggered when the Doctor said that with ominous eyes.

"Fine, I'll go be with Mummy then. Bye," she said as she started to walk away.

She laughed when both the Doctor and Alan seized her and gave her kisses on her cheeks.

"Nah, you come with me. Mum's boring," the Doctor said, picking her up.

"I'm gonna…"

"I know, I know," the Doctor said, interrupting Sokanon, "you're gonna tell your mum what I said and I keep tellin' ya, go right ahead. I'm not scared of her."

He looked over when Rose came up to Alan.

"This battle axe on the other hand, beware of her."

"Excuse me?" Rose said as Alan bent over laughing.

"Yup," the Doctor said to Sokanon as he walked away with her. "When I traveled with your aunt, I was constantly in fear for my life because I never could tell when the harpy was going to strike."

Sokanon howled with laughter when the Doctor sped up when Rose took off after him.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter Forty Three

The Doctor sat on the lounge while the triplets swam in the pool and Rain was lying on the lounge to his left. The Doctor watched the sunlight shimmering off her dark skin as she read her book and slightly smiled at him. He jumped when his cell phone vibrated against his leg and he reached into his pocket, taking the cell phone out.

"We're sorry but the Doctor is not available at the moment. Please…" the Doctor said.

"Doctor, this is Ianto. We need your help. Jack's been killed and…" Ianto half shouted in his ear and the Doctor pulled the cell phone from his ear.

"Ianto, Jack has been killed before."

"Doctor, no disrespect but please shut up," Ianto said and the Doctor frowned.

"Well, if you're going to be rude, I'm going to hang up."

"Sorry, sorry but we really need your help."

"Oh, alright, what's wrong?" the Doctor sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"You did get that toxicology report from Frazer, right?"

"Yep, I think it was kelnarium."

"That's what it was and we think it came from a company called Aquatech."

"Never heard of it," the Doctor said as his eight year old son, Chaska, got out of the pool and walked to the lounge, standing next to the Doctor. "Oi, you're dripping on me!"

"Who are you talking to, Daddy?" Chaska asked, picking the towel off the back of the lounge and drying his arms off.

"I'm talking with Uncle Ianto, Drippy!"

"Hi Uncle Ianto!" Chaska shouted and the Doctor heard Ianto laugh.

"He says hello. Now, go!" the Doctor said, waving his fingers at Chaska and Chaska laughed then walked away. "Right, so how did Jack end up dead?"

"Jack's dead?" Rain asked.

"Looks like," the Doctor said, shrugging.

"We went to Aquatech and got ambushed," Ianto said and the Doctor heard the worry in his voice.

"And knowing Jack, he said something to make them shoot him."

"No, the head of Aquatech told them to kill us."

"Oh, that isn't nice. Ok, I'll be there in a few minutes. Where are you?" the Doctor asked and Ianto told him where they were. Ending the call, the Doctor clicked the cell phone closed then got up and kissed Rain's lips. "Be right back."

"Be careful," she said as he nodded then walked toward the garage and the soft sound of the TARDIS dematerializing filled the air.

Aquatech

Angus looked out the window while he watched the men filling the large tanker trucks when he turned around and looked at Jack, who was tied to a chair in front of the desk. Angus was surprised to find Jack walking through the hallways only a few minutes after getting shot and took out three security guards before getting shot again. Angus had them bring Jack to his office and tied him to a chair before he woke up.

"So, mind telling me what's going on?" Jack asked as he tried to get free then sighed, tilting his head to one side.

"You first," Angus said as he walked closer and placed his hands on either side of Jack's shoulders, holding onto the back of the chair.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Jack said, smiling.

"You have been shot twice at point blank range yet you're still breathing."

"Oh, well, that's a trade secret," Jack said when Angus growled, stood up and smacked Jack hard enough in the face that Jack's head snapped to one side.

"_Jack?" _Ianto thought after feeling Jack's pain in his mind and Jack sighed, feeling the blood rolling out of his nose.

"_I'm ok," _Jack thought as he looked at Angus and Angus growled.

"Look, just tell me what you want with the kelnarium and we'll call it even," Jack said as Angus slammed his hands on the back of the chair and growled at him.

"What are you?" he demanded and Jack smiled.

"It depends on who's asking. I'm a captain or a conman or a liar or a lover or…"

"Shut up!" Angus shouted when a soft wheezing sound filled the air and he stood up, watching the TARDIS materializing near the door to his office. "What?"

"Oh, you are in for it now," Jack said as he turned his head to see what he was looking at and smiled. The doors slammed open as the Doctor walked outside and folded his arms over his chest. "What kept you?"

"I had to go get some help," the Doctor said as Doc, Theta and Cameron joined him and Cameron leaned on the doorway, looking at the ropes that tied Jack to the chair. Living in a mirror world after Theta's Master sealed him inside allowed Cameron to gain telekinetic powers and he wiggled his fingers. The ropes moved then untied themselves as Jack rubbed his sore wrists and the Doctor walked to the chair, placing his hand on the top of the chair.

"Who are you?" Angus asked.

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said and Doc and Theta smiled when the Doctor turned, looking at them. "So are they but that's another story."

"And I'm Cameron," Cameron said as he walked to the chair and patted the top of Jack's head. "You ok, Cap?"

"Yeah, and don't call me that," Jack said and Cameron softly laughed.

"Right, I want to know where you got the kelnarium and what you're using it for," the Doctor said as his eyes grew dark and Angus backed up, heading for the desk.

"Uh uh uh, that's naughty!" Cameron said when Angus locked eyes with him then found out he couldn't move.

"I can't move!" he shouted and Cameron smiled.

"And you won't unless you play nice and tell the Doctor what he wants to know."

"Cam, let him go," the Doctor said and Cameron sighed, nodding his head. Angus backed up toward the desk when he opened the drawer and removed a gun, pointing it at him. "No guns."

"Allow me!" Cameron said when the gun flew out of Angus' hand then fell to the floor near Theta's foot and Angus sighed, sitting down on the chair.

"I think he's ready to talk," Theta said as he kicked the gun across the room and Angus nodded. The Doctor walked to the desk when he leaned against it and wiggled his finger at Angus. Standing up then walking to the Doctor, Angus looked at him when the Doctor sat on the desk and folded one leg under the other. Placing his elbows on his thighs, he waited for Angus to tell him what he needed to know and cupped his chin in his hands.

Frazer stood near the console as he looked at the screen and frowned at the readings. The weather scans were showing a large storm front heading for the loch but the weather stations were reporting that this wasn't a normal storm pattern and Frazer sighed. Walking to the doors, he walked outside as the wind blew through his hair and the crystals and charms on the chain were glowing.

"Frazer?" Angel asked as she walked up behind him and slid her arms around his waist. Looking up at the sky, she watched the dark clouds rolling across the sky and the wind grew colder. "What's going on?"

"A storm's coming," he said softly as he watched the people going by and some of them were running for shelter.

"Oh, I thought it was something serious," she said with a smile as he turned to her and she looked into his eyes. His eyes were glowing in a golden light as she gently touched his cheek and he was shaking.

"I told you that something would happen if she found out," he said as she held him and the wind blew through their hair.

"But how did she find out? Did you call for her?" Angel said and he kissed her cheek.

"No, I didnae call her. That beastie in the loch did before it died," Frazer sighed and lightning flashed across the sky. A hard rain started falling as the wind howled and Gwen walked into the doorway and looked at them.

"What's going on," she asked and he looked at her.

"Someone's coming," he said and Gwen frowned.

"Who are you talking about?" Gwen asked as he looked up at the darkening sky and sighed.

"My godmother's coming," he said as the lightning flashed across the sky and thunder echoed in the wind. "And she's pissed off."


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter Forty Four

Alan opened Daisy's door and everyone stepped out and looked at the Quasi Reservoir. The planet was much like Mars with red earth and sky but large sections had been terraformed and made habitable. The reservoir was man-made and the fish had originally come from other planets until some geneticists spliced some of the creature's genes together and made some unique species. The Zarbon was one of them. It could grow up to two meters long and had a white body with blue streaks running along the sides. The lake was constantly stocked and the owners guaranteed that anyone who fished it would be able to bring home at least one fish. The reservoir was two miles in circumference with several shops and businesses around it, including a grocery store, boat and bait rental shop and the restaurant that grilled any catch you brought in. While Alan, Doc and Rose went to rent boats and equipment, the others stood on a wooden dock and looked out at the crystal clear lake. When they looked down they saw fish of different sizes and species swimming in the water. Rain put his arm around her husband.

"This'll be fun. Look at the size of some of them," she said to him.

"Yeah, nice and big, my stomach's rumblin' already," the Doctor replied.

"Where?" Namid said.

The Doctor showed her and she oohed and aahed at the sight.

"I wanna catch a big fish," she said.

"I bet I can catch a bigger one than you," Sokanon said.

"Nuh-uh," Namid said as the Doctor put his hands on their heads.

"Alright, you two, save it for when we actually get out on the water," he teased.

They looked over when Alan, Doc and Rose came out carrying tackle boxes, fishing rods and nets. They distributed them to everyone and then Alan led them to another dock several feet from where they were standing. Tied to the dock were two large rowboats made of an alien material that was similar to fiberglass. They climbed down ladders to the boats and Doc helped Namid go down once the Doctor was in the boat and able to get ahold of her back. They split up with Alan, Rose, Chaska and Christopher going in one boat and the rest taking the other. The Doctor and Alan untied the boats and sat down to row.

"Happy fishing, mate," Alan said as they rowed away.

The Doctor waited till they were far enough away before he rowed. While he rowed, the others got their fishing rods ready, using space slugs for bait. Rain took care of the Doctor's fishing rod while he rowed while Doc took care of Namid's.

"Now, Ya'nala, you need help in casting, yeah?" he said to her as she sat between him and her father.

"Yup. I don't know what to do," Namid said.

"Well, we'll let you dad finish rowing and then I'll explain," he said.

The Doctor rowed out to the middle of the lake and sat the oars inside the boat. Rain passed him his rod and he explained to Sokanon what to do while Rain cast hers off the left side of the boat.

"Okay, Mi-mi," Doc said to her. "You have to cast your line out and what you do is you hold on to the end like this and you slowly raise your arm until its back over your head and then with a flick of the wrist you bring your arm down and the fishing line flies out away from us and with the help of the bobber it'll land in the water. You wanna try?"

"Yes, Dada."

Doc showed her where to grip the rod while the Doctor smiled tenderly and cast his line out. Namid raised her arm and then did what Doc said and flicked her wrist as she cast. The Doctor suddenly let out a grunt and his hand went up to the back of his neck.

"Did I do it, Dada?" Namid asked Doc.

"Um…" Doc said, trying not to laugh, "no, Ya'nala, the hook landed in the back of your daddy's neck."

Namid gasped as the Doctor pulled the hook out of his flesh.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm sorry," she said in a panicky voice as everyone laughed.

The Doctor kissed her cheek.

"S'alright, I've had worse," he said. "At least you caught something. Unfortunately, it wasn't the fish."

"You do it, Daddy. I don't wanna hurt you again," Namid said, trying to hand him the rod.

"No, Rainbow, you can do this," the Doctor said, reeling the line back in. "Just try it again."

He could see the hesitation on Namid's face as she raised her arm. She paused a moment and then brought her arm down and flicked her wrist. This time the line flew out over the lake and landed about thirty feet away.

"There, you did it," Doc said as Namid breathed a sigh of relief. "Now you have to reel in some of the slack."

He showed her how to do it and when her line was taut, he cast his own out over the bow of the boat while Sokanon cast hers out over the stern. About fifty feet from them, Alan's group was fishing quietly. Namid sat beside her fathers with a frown on her face.

"Now what happens?" she asked the Doctor.

"Now you have to be patient and wait for the fish to take your bait. When you hear your bobber beeping you need to jerk your rod back so the hook'll get him. And…hello, I got something!"

He jerked back on his rod and quickly reeled in his catch while Namid paused and listened. He grabbed his net and lifted the rod up and sighed when he pulled out a tiny fish.

"Blast, not big enough," he said, lowering the net and grabbing the line so he could unhook it.

"What you mean, Daddy?" Sokanon asked.

"I mean, that if you get a very small fish like this, unhook it and throw it back because it's not worth it. It's too small to eat and if you let it grow up, people can catch it later."

He unhooked the fish, tossed it back in the water and reached into a metal container for another slug. While he was doing that, Namid's bobber began to beep loudly.

"Jerk the rod, Ya'nala," Doc said.

Namid did as she was told and Doc felt the rod.

"Yup, you got him, now reel him in," he said proudly.

Namid used the spinner and reeled in her catch as the Doctor prepared his net. To their delight, she pulled out a fifteen pound Zarbon. He held it up by the line as everyone in both boats cheered.

"Do I throw it back, Daddy?" Namid asked.

"Blimey, no, this one's a keeper," he said.

He gave her a sideways hug when she cheered and sat the wriggling fish on the floor of the boat. Keeping his foot on it, he took the hook out and put it in a metal box that was between him and Rain that had come with the boat.

"That one will be yours tonight, Rainbow," he said. "You caught it, you get to eat it."

His hearts warmed at the ecstatic smile on his daughter's face and he hugged and kissed her cheek. Doc did the same from the other side while the Doctor put another slug on her hook. Once that was done, Namid cast out again, took up the slack and sat quietly, confident that she was able to fish. After several minutes, Sokanon sighed and looked back at her mother.

"Can we do something? Have a sing-a-long or storytime or something while we wait for the fish to eat the slug?" she asked.

The Doctor smiled and projected an image into everyone's heads. They watched as he walked along the reservoir and then he went into it. He walked and walked until his head was under the water, then he came back up with a fishy looking face, fins for ears and gills.

"Hey look, I regenerated into Fish Man," he said, waving while the children giggled. "I'm completely at one with the sea now and it's absolutely brilliant. I'm able to swim the deepest depths of the sea and see all the wonders that nature has to offer…"

"While he rambled on about his newfound ability and how marvelous it was, far in the background a little tugboat came into view. Cartoon puffs of smoke came out of its black smokestack and it made a chug, chug, chug sound while Alan stood in the cabin on the top portion of the boat and sailed her. While the Doctor continued to ramble on about his newfound fishiness, Alan stopped the tugboat, turned towards him and observed him with a spyglass. While the Doctor continued his spiel, Alan went out the door of the cabin, climbed down a metal ladder to the main deck and picked up a fishing rod. He cast it towards the Doctor…

"And you know what's also brilliant?" Fish Doctor said to everyone. "I can breathe underwater for long periods of time without having to rely on my respiratory bypass system and…"

KER-PLONK!

The Doctor stopped talking when he heard something land beside him. He looked over and noticed a red bobber floating in the water beside him.

"Hey, what's this?" he said, grabbing it.

He lifted it up and saw a worm wriggling on the hook. He gasped.

"Look!" he said to everyone as he pointed to it. "Food! Someone has brought me food. How sweet!"

He put the hook in his mouth and his eyes bugged out of his head when Alan jerked on the rod and the hook stuck in the side of his mouth. The children giggled when he let out a pained yell as Alan reeled him in and he went backwards towards the boat. They laughed harder when Alan finished reeling him in, lifted him up and conked him on the head with a large club. He then hung the Doctor up by his trenchcoat on a hook on the side of a boat, took a photo of him with his camera and then went back up the ladder, went inside the cabin and they heard the chug, chug, chug as Alan's boat went on with Fish Doctor hanging on the hook.

"Oh ha ha," the real Doctor yelled to Alan as everyone laughed.

Alan then projected an image into their heads of him dressed as a Captain in the Royal British Navy in the 1800's. He was standing on a wooden schooner in the middle of the ocean.

"Ahoy," Alan said with a wave, "I'm Captain Alan and I'm welcoming you to me party ship. Where we party all night long…"

He continued to talk about his party ship and in the background a pirate ship appeared in the background. The Doctor, dressed as a pirate, appeared on the deck with a parrot on his shoulder. He put a cannonball in a cannon and readied it while Alan danced a jaunty hornpipe on his deck. Then suddenly, the Doctor pulled a cord and the cannonball rammed into the front half of his boat, shearing it off completely and leaving Alan only two feet of space on his right side. Alan stopped dancing and looked back at the Doctor.

"Hey, that's not very nice," he said.

The Doctor fired another cannon and it tore into the back end of his boat, shearing it off completely so Alan only had a six foot deck to stand on.

"Now really, this is really bad form," Alan called out to him as he stood on his now very short deck.

He gasped when the Doctor shot another cannon and his six foot deck became three foot. The children giggled when Captain Alan shook his fist at Pirate Doctor.

"This is not fair!" he yelled at him.

He gasped when another cannon reduced his three foot deck to a foot. He looked on helplessly as the Doctor raised his sails and sailed away.

"Now wait a moment," real Alan said to his brother as everyone laughed.

"What? You ruined my little fantasy so I ruined yours," the Doctor called back. "Fair's fair, I say and…"

He stopped talking when Rain suddenly jerked on her rod and began reeling in the line. The Doctor's mouth dropped open when she reeled in a three pound fish.

"What's going on here? I get an itty bitty baby while my family reels in these massive monsters?" the Doctor said as everyone in his boat laughed.

"Let's face it, the fish don't like you," Rain said, feigning smugness as she put her fish in the metal box and reached for another slug. "Don't worry, dear, if you don't catch anything I'll share mine with you."

Everyone in the boat giggled as the Doctor shot her a look and she patted her head.

"Whooo-hooooo!"

They looked over at Alan as he was reeling in a two pound Zarbon.

"Argh!" the Doctor said.

"Don't feel bad, mate, I haven't gotten a bite yet," Doc said to him.

"Me neither, this is boring now and my bum hurts," Sokanon said.

"Want a little cheese to go with that whine then?" the Doctor said, leaning across his wife to poke her side. "How 'bout if I hang you from my pole, then you bum won't be touch…"

He trailed off when Namid suddenly got a bite and at Doc's urging, began to reel it in. His mouth dropped open when she pulled a four pound fish out of the water.

"What's wrong with this picture?" he said as everyone in the boat laughed. "How come I got a baby fish and Namid's got two big ones? Where's my prize fish? Why won't the fish take my bait. I have just as good a bait as everyone else in this boat!"

"Maybe they think you're stinky and that's why they don't like you," Namid said as Rain took her fish off and put it in the box.

"I'll show you stinky," he said as he tickled her sides.

She giggled and took her rod when Rain handed it back to her. The Doctor watched with wide eyes as she cast the line without any prompting and took up the slack.

"Look at her, she started out the day by getting a hook in my neck and now she's an expert fisherwoman. No wonder she's getting all the fish," he said as Namid giggled. "Hey, fisherwoman, you gonna let me have a bite of your catch tonight?"

"Oh, I'll think about it," Namid said airily.

Doc laughed as the Doctor's mouth dropped open and Namid laughed when he tickled her again and gave her a huge kiss on the cheek. Rain ruffled his hair affectionately when he grabbed his rod and resumed his wait for the fish to bite.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter Forty Five

Aquatech

Angus started pacing back and forth but backed away from Cameron as Cameron smiled at him and the Doctor cupped his head in his left hand, tapping his fingers on the desk.

"Fine, two weeks ago my men found this cylinder near the north shore of the loch," Angus said and the Doctor nodded.

"Where did this cylinder come from?" the Doctor asked.

"How should I ken? It was just there."

"I do remember seeing a report about rift activity somewhere near here," Jack said.

"Did they find anything?" the Doctor asked while Doc and Theta walked to the window and looked at the dark clouds moving across the sky.

"That doesn't look good," Doc said.

"Um, Brother, is this normal?" Theta asked as the Doctor spun around on his bottom and looked out the window. Getting off the desk, he walked to the window and watched the lightning fill the sky.

"No, that's not normal," he said as Angus inched toward the door then stopped and pulled on his legs, trying to free them.

"Och, this is getting ridiculous!" he shouted as they turned around and looked at him. Cameron leaned against the TARDIS while he wiggled his fingers and Theta sighed, walking to him.

"Stop that," he said and gently smacked the back of Cameron's head and Cameron sighed, letting Angus go.

"Where were we?" the Doctor asked as he sat back on the desk and Doc sat next to him.

"I was talking about the rift activity," Jack said and the Doctor nodded.

"Where is this cylinder?" Doc asked.

"That's classified," Angus said then gasped as he started floating into the air and Cameron smiled, waving at him. "Let me down!"

"Cameron Douglas, put him DOWN!" Theta said and Cameron sighed, lowering Angus to the floor. Angus backed away from Cameron then backed into Jack, spun around and Jack glared at him.

"Where is the cylinder?" Jack growled. Angus led them to the door when they left the office and headed down the hallway. After taking a short lift ride, they walked down a long hallway and the pipes overhead hissed. Steam appeared from some of the pipes while Doc and Theta scanned the pipes and Angus walked around a corner. They walked into a large room with cement walls, floor and ceiling and a large tube rose from a silver cylinder sitting in the center of the room.

'Whoa, look at the size of that thing, Doctor!" Cameron said as the Doctor, Theta and Doc looked at him and he frowned, blinking. "What?"

"Just wait until I tell Jamie that you stole one of his tag line!" Theta said while Cameron thought for a few seconds then laughed. The Doctor walked toward the silver cylinder when he took out the sonic screwdriver and scanned it. Theta and Doc walked toward them when Doc saw the large grate near the cylinder and a blue green liquid trailed from the cylinder to the grate. He followed the trail when he knelt down and noticed a crack in the cylinder and stood up.

"Brother," he said as the Doctor walked to him and looked at the crack. The blue green liquid floated down the side of the cylinder as it headed to the grate and he scanned it.

"It's kelnarium," he said then started pacing back and forth and thought for a few minutes. "Now, if this has been leaking for the last two weeks, it has to be going into the sewer system. If that's the case then these people would have died, along with everything in the loch."

"But no one's dead," Theta said and the Doctor nodded.

"And, seeing that they're not, then it begs to ask where this grate leads," the Doctor said and scanned the floor. "What's under this room?"

"It's a large cave," Angus said and the Doctor nodded.

"So you drilled into the cave and set up a drainage system?"

"Aye," Angus said, nodding.

"Was there anything in the cave?"

"Aye, there was a large pool of water. We took some readings and it doesnae lead into the loch."

"Are you sure?" Doc asked and Angus shrugged.

"Right, first thing we have to do is seal the leak then we're going to go see what's in that cave," the Doctor said when he, Doc and Theta walked to the silver cylinder and took the sonic screwdrivers out of their pockets. Setting the sonic screwdriver to the right setting, they sealed the crack in the silver cylinder then scanned it for any more leaks then placed the sonic screwdrivers back in their pockets. "Let's go."

They left the room while the last of the kelnarium dribbled down the grate and a soft dripping sound filled the air.

The rain pounded down on Gwen, Frazer and Angel as they watched the people running into the shops and restaurants and Angel held onto Frazer. The wheezing sound filled the air as they watched the TARDIS materializing next to them and the doors opened. The Doctor walked out as he looked up at the lightning flashing across the sky then looked at them, walking closer.

"You're all wet," the Doctor said with a grin then noticed the look in Frazer's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"This is no ordinary storm," Frazer said and the Doctor nodded.

"I figured that. So what's causing it?"

"My godmother's coming," Frazer said and the Doctor blinked. He knew who M'Yari was as he nodded and looked up at the clouds.

"Why is she coming?"

"She knows what happened tae Loch's parent."

"And how did she find out?"

"The same way as I did, she heard its death song," Frazer sighed and the Doctor nodded.

"Which means we have to deal with the kelnarium spill and a ticked off fey."

"What are you talking about?" Angel asked and the Doctor gave her a quick recap on what they found out at Aquatech.

"So where is this cave?" Frazer asked.

"Cameron sent the co ordinance to your TARDIS," the Doctor said as they nodded then went inside the TARDIS and closed the doors. The Doctor looked up at the lightning crackling across the sky then sighed and went inside the TARDIS, closing the door behind him. The wheezing sounds filled the air as the TARDISes dematerialized and the lighting flashed brightly in the sky.

The cave was lit by glowing crystals which were embedded in the walls and the soft sound of water dripping filled the air. At the center of the cave was a large pool, which was surrounded by rocks and the grate that led to the room above the pool sat directly over the calm water. The last of the kelnarium dripped into the water as soft puffs of mist spread over the water and the water turned a blue green color. The cave entrance was at the end of a long tunnel and lying on the ground was Loch's parent. Its skin had dried out to a dull gray color and blue green foam dripped out of the corner of its mouth. Its dead eyes started at the entrance while a soft wheezing sound filled the air and two TARDISes materialized near the pool. The doors opened as the Doctor, Doc, Jack and Theta walked outside and the Doctor closed the doors, locking them.

"Right, there's the grate," the Doctor said while he looked up at the ceiling of the cave and pointed at the grate. They walked to the pool when they took out their sonic screwdrivers and scanned the water. Angus saw the anger in the Doctor's eyes when he backed toward the TARDIS then grunted when he walked into Frazer.

"An' where do you think you're going?" Frazer asked when he gently placed his hands on Angus' shoulders and turned him around, softly pushing him toward the Doctor.

"Jack!" Ianto said when he ran passed Frazer and Angus and Jack grunted when Ianto wrapped his arms around him, hugging him. Jack rubbed his back as he sent love into his mind and kissed his cheek.

"What are you looking at?" Frazer asked while Angus watched them hugging and gently pushed Angus forward. Frazer stopped when he felt a cold chill blowing through him and he looked at the tunnel leading to the cave. Walking toward the tunnel, Frazer walked along when he could see something blocking the light from the entrance and turned around, looking back up the tunnel. "Doctor, I think you need tae see this!"

The Doctor, Doc and Theta ran down the tunnel when they stopped near Frazer and they looked at what was in front of them.

"What is that?" Doc asked when the Doctor walked closer and ran his hand along the dry skin. Sniffing his fingers, he sighed then walked back to them and looked at the ground.

"What does this smell like to you?,'" the Doctor asked softly as they sniffed his fingers and Frazer's eyes went wide.

"That smells like Loch," he said and the Doctor nodded.

"I think we just found its parent," the Doctor said, sighing.

"Do you think this was its den?" Theta asked.

"Yep," the Doctor said when the ground suddenly started shaking and they ran back into the cave. The rocks fell from the ceiling as Gwen and Angel ran out of the TARDIS and Angel closed the doors. She ran to Frazer as they looked around and the chain around Frazer's neck was glowing. Suddenly a bright light flared as they covered their eyes and Angus screamed.

"Blimey, you scream like a girl!" Theta said with a grin when the light died down and they looked at the figure standing in front of them. The figure was dressed in a long white robe and golden sandals and her long white hair blew around her head. Her crystal green eyes flared as she held the wooden staff made of sacred ash in her hand and she glared at them.

"Who is that?" Doc asked.

"That is M'Yari," Theta said.

"What is she?"

"She is a really pissed off fey," Jack said.

"And she's my godmother," Frazer said and Doc slightly smiled.

"You have a…?" Doc asked when M'Yari walked to the pool, sniffed the water then screamed loud enough for them to cover their ears.

"Who has done this?" she demanded when she turned and looked at the Doctor. "You, tell me who did this!"

"Easy now, Good Lady, there is no…" the Doctor said when M'Yari slammed the end of the wooden staff on the ground and blue lightning shot across the ground.

"You will tell me now or I will kill you all!" she shouted when Ianto, Gwen and Jack took the guns out of the holsters and pointed the guns at her.

"Jack, no, let me handle this!" the Doctor shouted as he held his hands out then looked at Cameron and saw his hair floating around his head. Blue lines moved up his neck then across his cheeks and the Doctor sighed. "Cameron, stand down!"

"Godmother!" Frazer shouted as M'Yari turned and looked at him as he walked closer, taking her hand in his.

"Fraz'let?" she asked and he nodded.

"Aye, now calm down an' let the Doctor tell you what is going on," he said as she looked at the Doctor and growled.

"I better like what I hear or they will die," she said as the Doctor walked to her and placed his hands behind his back.

"First of all, NO ONE is going to die! Second, what happened here was an accident. That man over there did not know that something lived down here," he said then looked at Angus and Angus was hiding behind Doc. "You didn't know what was down here, right?"

"Aye, I had no idea that something lived down here when we installed the grate," Angus said as M'Yari looked up at the great and a golden light flared in her eyes.

"Third, if he had known what was down here, I am sure that he would have found a safer place for it," the Doctor said as M'Yari walked to Doc and looked at Angus, locking eyes with him. Her eyes flashed as he gulped and she turned around, looking at the Doctor.

"He has darkness inside him," she said then looked at Angus. "Tell me, what is a space whale?"

"_Oh bugger," _Jack thought then set up a privacy block and showed the others the space whale they had encountered.

"_And he was the one that employed them to do it?" _Theta thought.

"_Yeah," _Jack thought and the Doctor rubbed his face with his hands, frowning at the smell of dead Nessy on his hand.

"You wa-want tae ken what a space whale is?" Angus asked as she stamped the staff on the ground and blinked.

"Did I speak incorrectly? What is a space whale and why do I scent death around you?" she asked and Angus started sweating.

"A space whale is a giant creature that resembles an Earth whale which travels the stars and can be used as guides for spacecrafts. They have several flippers and tentacles like protrusions down their stomachs and used a form of whale song to communicate," the Doctor said and M'Yari nodded, looking at Angus.

"And what did you do with it?" she asked and Angus muttered his answer, making her tilt her head to one side. "What did you say?"

"We found one and used it as food," he said and she blinked.

"You killed it?"

"No, it was alive when we started harvesting the meat," he said as she growled and her eyes turned red.

"Uh-oh," Jack whispered as M'Yari growled and the runes on her staff started glowing.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter Forty Six

At the end of the day, everyone caught at least one fish but Namid still had two including the fifteen pound whopper. They walked over to the restaurant carrying the metal boxes. The Doctor and Doc carried their box while Alan and Rose carried theirs. While they walked, the Doctor looked down at Namid who was holding Rain's hand as she walked.

"So, Fisherwoman, you gonna let me have some of your fish?" he asked.

"Nope, I'm gonna eat it aaaall by myself," Namid said.

"Oh? You're gonna eat all fifteen pounds of Zarbon by yourself, I'd like to see you cram all that into your little tummy," he said while everyone laughed.

"You got a fish, you eat yours," Namid said with an impish grin.

"My fish was only two pounds," the Doctor said.

"So. I caught my fish, I eat it aaaall by myself and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"You know, the older you get the more like me you become and it's getting scary," the Doctor said as everyone laughed. "You're just a great big meany, Mi-mi."

"Oh well, that's life, get used to it!"

Everyone bent over laughing when the Doctor's mouth dropped open at her smug remark.

"I have half a mind to throw you on the grill along with your Zarbon," he said as he gave her hair an affectionate tousle.

The restaurant was large with wooden floors and walls. Along the sky blue walls were fishing gear, nets and stuffed fish along with paintings of ships and fishing scenes. The smell of cooked fish hung in the air as Alan led them to the back of the restaurant where a plump lizard man with lemon colored skin and a frill down the back of his head cooked the fish. Assisting him was a small woman who resembled a humanoid hairless sheep with black face, hands and feet and a snow white body. The woman came over to them while the lizard man continued to cook.

"Can I help you?" she asked Alan.

"Yes, we want some of our catch grilled and some of it put on dry ice and packed up for our trip home."

"Of course, lay the fish out on this counter," she said as she pulled out a long sheet of wax paper and put it on a wooden counter near the grill.

"Can your mum and I share your fish?" the Doctor asked as he opened their box.

He smiled and kissed her forehead when she nodded. He pulled out Namid's huge fish along with a couple of others and put them on the counter beside Alan's fish. The woman did a double take at the fifteen pound Zarbon.

"My, my, who caught this?" she said.

They pointed to Namid.

"Well, before we cook this up, we need to get a photo of her standing by it," she said. "Come here, dear. Let's take a photo of you and your fish."

The Doctor walked with her as the lady took the fish and led them to the right side of the restaurant. There was a small hook hanging down from the wall on a long black chain and beside it was a narrow white sign that said CATCH OF THE DAY in black block letters. There were a few props like a fishing rod, net and tackle box. The lady told Namid to stand near the hook as she put the hook in the fish's mouth. Then she handed Namid the fishing pole to hold and put the tackle box near her. Once that was done, she took a holocamera out of a nearby wooden box and the Doctor backed up while she stood in front of her and prepared to take the picture.

"Look proud, Mi-mi," the Doctor said.

Namid gave the lady a proud smile as everyone watched with pride. The lady took a couple of pictures and then told the Doctor to wait while she went through a pair of metal double doors into the back of the restaurant. Namid put the pole down and went to stand by her father while they waited. She came out a moment later with a white certificate and a pen.

"Okay, what's your daughter's full name?" she asked the Doctor.

"Namidotorrannapelosara."

The woman's eyes bugged out.

"Um, how do you spell that?" she said to the Doctor while his family giggled.

The Doctor slowly spelled it for her and she wrote it down in one of the spaces on the certificate. Then she took the fish off the hook and went back into the back of the restaurant. She quickly measured the weight and length and came back out with the fish. She laid it down on the counter and wrote down the measurements in another space. Then she called the cook over and both of them signed it and handed it to Namid.

"There you go, a little certificate commemorating your catch," the lady said as the cook smiled and took the fish to the grill.

"Thank you," Namid said.

"You're welcome, Sweetie. Your photo will be ready shortly and we'll bring it to you."

Namid gave the certificate to the Doctor as the lady went back into the kitchen with the camera and pen.

"What's it say, Daddy?" she asked as her family gathered around her.

"This certificate commemorates the skill of Namidotorrannapelosara and her great catch. A fifteen pound, twenty two inch Zarbon. She has proven herself to be a great fisherman and we hope she has even more success in future. And they both signed it."

"Cool."

"You're lucky; we've never gotten a certificate when we've gone fishing here. You have to catch a really big whopper in order to get that," Alan said. "Congratulations!"

Namid smiled as everyone offered their congratulations and her brother and sister gave her a hug. The Doctor glanced over and noticed the cook was filleting her fish first and putting it off to one side on the grill so she'd be sure to get it. They went and sat at a black teakwood table with matching chairs. The table was large enough that all of them sat at it and they picked up large menus and looked through the selections. Namid sat between the Doctor and Doc and Doc read her some of the things on the menu while Rain called her father.

"Hey, Dad," Rain said into the mobile. "You won't believe this. We went fishing today on this planet called Quasi. Everyone managed to get a fish but Namid got this huge fifteen pound Zarbon. They're cooking it for her now and she got her picture taken with it and a certificate."

"She's talking about you," the Doctor whispered to Namid who giggled and nodded.

"Oh?"

Rain smiled and lowered the phone.

"Mi-mi, Grandpa says that since you're so good at fishing, you'll have to come with him and Tim and Wilf to their fishing hole for the rest of your life."

"No," Namid said as everyone laughed.

"That's a no, Dad," Rain said, talking into the mobile. "I think she might like to go fishing with you guys but not every moment of every day of her life. But we had fun and I just wanted to let you know that your granddaughter will probably be appearing on Bass Master in the future."

"Mummy's being silly," Namid said to the Doctor.

"That's a good idea though. Our next trip will be to the studio of Bass Master so you can show off your fishing skills and talk about how good you are," he replied.

"No, I wanna go to Disneyworld."

"No, I'm Disneyed out for awhile so you need to think of something else."

"I, on the other hand, am not Disneyed out so I'll be taking you on Expedition Everest forty billion times until you puke your guts out," Alan said.

"No, I don't wanna ride that. It's stupid."

Alan's mouth dropped open as the Doctor and Rose let out an "Ooooo."

"Fine, I won't take you to Disney, ever, ever."

The Doctor chuckled when Namid shrugged and leaned against his side.

"I don't need you to, got him," she said.

"You're right, she is getting more cheeky with each passing day," Alan said to the Doctor while the children giggled.

After ordering some baked potatoes, milk and salad to go with their fish, the lady brought their meals to them. Everyone was shocked when she sat a little cake down beside Namid's plate. It was chocolate with brown frosting and CONGRATULATIONS written on the top with white icing. When the Doctor told her about it, Namid's eyes widened.

"Wow, you're getting wined and dined today, baby," Rain said.

"Here you are," Rain said, handing the Doctor the photograph which had been blown up to an 8 by 12 and put in a wooden frame.

The Doctor showed it to Namid and she held it in her hands, staring at it silently and keeping the image the Doctor showed her in her mind while everyone else dug into their meal. After a few minutes, Namid gave it back to the Doctor and began to eat her meal.

After they returned home, the Doctor put the certificate in a frame and hung it and the photo directly above Namid's bed.

"Did you have fun?" he asked her as she stood beside him.

"Yes. I wanna do that again!"

"Why? So you can catch bigger fish and make me look like an even bigger fool?"

"No, you're not a fool, Daddy. You're just stinky."

She giggled when the Doctor tickled her. He picked up his hammer.

"Get some sleep, little fisherwoman. Tomorrow, we take the TARDIS to the set of Bass Masters."

"NO!" Namid said, laughing, as the Doctor picked her up, gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked with her out of the room.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter Forty Seven

The Doctor took a sip of tea while he listened to his brother, John, talking about a recent excursion he had taken with Rosie, Jackie Simon and Tara. They had gone to the planet Polodia which had one of the largest aquariums in the universe. Around him in the living room were Rain, Awinita, Nelak, Doc, Alan, Rose and Rosie. The Doctor, Alan and John's youngest children were upstairs playing while they chatted.

"Anyway, it was a sight to see," John said, taking his cup of tea from the coffee table. "They had phosphorescent Plantagents from Lukos. Don' t know if you've ever seen them before…"

"I have," the Doctor said. "Lukos is a nice planet."

"Yes, they have a lot of nice parklands," Doc added. "Used to go there all the time and meditate. Don't remember the aquarium though."

"They've only had it for about the last hundred years or so. When you went it was much further back in time," John said as Doc nodded.

The Doctor looked at Sokanon when she came up beside him.

"Daddy, Chaska's being gross," his seven year old daughter said.

"Isn't that what boys do?" the Doctor said as everyone laughed. "Okay, what is Chas doing that's so gross?"

"We're playing with our Barbie dolls and he's taking the Ken doll and sticking one of Barbie's shoe down the front of his underwear and saying that's his willy cause he doesn't have a proper one."

The Doctor tried to keep a straight face as the rest of the men looked at one another and sniggered.

"Soki, tell your brother to come here," Rain said, setting her cup of tea down.

"Ought-oh, say bye bye to your brother, I think he won't be long for this world," the Doctor said to Sokanon.

"Good, cause he's a pest anyway," Sokanon said as she ran towards the stairs.

When she was out of earshot the adults laughed as Rain shook her head.

"I don't know where he gets it from but this obsession with sex is gonna stop," Rain said to them as they waited.

"Aw, come on, love. Go easy on him, he's just a curious little boy," the Doctor said to her.

They grew quiet and waited in anticipation as Chaska came down the stairs and walked towards his mother who was giving him a stern look.

"Young man, why are you doing lewd things to your sister's Barbie dolls?" she asked him.

"It was just for a laugh, Mummy," Chaska protested.

"I don't care. You don't do things like that at your age and I want it stopped," Rain said.

Chaska looked over at his father. His father stopped in mid sip of his tea and stared back at him while John and Alan shared a look and grinned.

"Um…why are you staring at me as if I will help you out of this situation?" The Doctor said after lowering the cup from his lips. "I happen to agree with your mum. You're too young to be doing things like that and thinking about sex so if you're waiting for me to go against your mum, you're gonna have a very long wait."

Alan, John and Nelak bit their lips when Chaska looked back at her mum and she gave him a smug look.

"Now, are you going to stop doing crude things like that?" she asked him.

"Yes, Mummy," Chaska said.

"Alright, now go and play," Rain said.

Chaska turned and ran back upstairs. When he was out of earshot, the adults chuckled.

"Be fair, he's a male and men do think of that sort of thing," Alan said. "Although sticking a shoe down a doll's smalls is a new one to me. I'll have to start doing that with Rose as a kind of foreplay thing."

"You do and I'll beat you to death with it," Rose said as the others laughed.

"I wonder if Chris is up there touching Barbie's tits, maybe I should investigate," Alan said to John.

There was a knock at the door.

"Enter, if you dare!" the Doctor yelled out as the others laughed.

The door opened and Tara entered.

"Ugh, on second thought, get outta here," the Doctor said.

"Be quiet, Daddy," she said.

She walked over, kissed his cheek and her mother's cheek before she reached into her purse.

"Went to the post office and I got your mail for you," she said, handing him a stack of letters and a small package wrapped in brown paper. "Is there anything in your fridge? I'm starving."

"Hello to you too," the Doctor said.

"I kissed you hello, Daddy. Okay, hello, Daddy, is there anything to eat?"

"Well, I suppose we still have Judoon gizzards and buckets of blood in the fridge. You'll have to see for yourself," he said as he began to sort through his mail.

She kissed him again and headed for the fridge as the Doctor picked out two letters and the package. He handed the rest to Rain.

"Amuse yourself as usual with my junk mail," he said to her as he opened a letter from a friend.

Awinita snickered and went to set over beside her as Rain looked through the junk mail. She found one that was folded over and sealed with a red sticker on the side. On the front it said…

PASSION, THE NEW PERFUME BY EXOTICA.

"Exotica? Who's that, a stripper?" Awinita said to her.

"Lord only knows," Rain said as she broke the seal and opened it.

She unfolded the stiff sheet of paper and pressed the holographic button that was on the left side of the paper. Both she and Rain's eyes bulged when a large buxom cow humanoid with size FF boobs appeared before them. She resembled a cow except she was standing on two legs and wearing a skimpy pink bikini that threatened to burst over her massive tits. Alan, John and Nelak got up and tried to have a peek at her before Rose and Rosie pulled Alan and John back.

"No fair, Nelak gets to see it," John said as Rosie forced her husband to sit in his chair.

"Hello," the cow alien said in a seductive voice, "I am Exotica."

"Really? So did you create the perfume to hide the barnyard smell then?" Awinita asked as Rain giggled.

"I have created a scintillating new scent called Passion and I want you to have a free sample, Doctor."

Rain raised her eyebrow at the seductive way the cow said her husband's name.

"Would you like a free sample of…Passion?"

Rain looked at her sister.

"Oh, go for it, Sis," she said. "Get some…Passion."

Rain giggled. She selected yes when yes and no buttons appeared in front of Exotica and there was a flash of light and a teeny tiny pink perfume bottle appeared on the coffee table. The Doctor groaned.

"Ugh, now I'll get a million more of those asking for samples. No wonder I keep getting junk mail," he said as he read his letter. "I must be daft giving you those."

Tara came out of the kitchen munching on some nachos with melted cheddar cheese on top. She noticed the perfume sample and walked over to it.

"What's this?" she said, picking it up.

"A gift from Exotica, the bovine whore," the Doctor said, not taking his eyes off his letter.

"Bovine whore?" Tara said, taken aback.

"This…" Rain said, showing her the junk mail. "I'm looking through your father's discarded junk mail again and I got a free sample of Passion from this slutty cow alien."

Tara sat her plate down on the coffee table and opened the bottle. She took a sniff and grimaced as she quickly put the lid back on.

"Oh God, this reeks. I wouldn't let a cheap wino wear this crap. Mom, don't ever wear this," she said, setting it down on the table and picking her plate back up.

"Told ya," the Doctor said airily.

He finished his letter and stared at the package. His address was on there but not a return address. He frowned, picked up the box and shook it. He heard something shaking around in it. While he was studying it, Sokanon came down the stairs with Namid and Jackie. They saw Tara and ran to her.

"Sissy!" Sokanon said. "Namid, Tara's here."

"Hey, Sissy," Namid said as Tara put her plate down and embraced them.

While she was saying hello to them, the Doctor slowly opened the package. He opened the box and stared inside the box in confusion.

"What is that, dear?"

The Doctor gave her a pointed look as he reached in and pulled out a large gold men's ring that had a large diamond in the center of it.

"Wow," Jackie said, catching sight of it and wandering over. "Where'd you get that, Uncle Doctor?"

"Dunno. You have an idea, dear?" he said to Rain.

"I didn't send it," Rain said, shaking her head.

"Tara? Awinita?"

They both shook their heads as Sokanon came over with Namid.

"Wow! Can I have it?" Sokanon said.

"No, I'm trying to find out who sent it to me. Not everyone knows my address so it narrows it down but…"

"But what?"

The Doctor had been feeling around the bottom and found a small purple ribbon on the purple velvet lining. He pulled on it and saw there was a false bottom. Inside was a folded letter. He took the letter out and read it while everyone watched and waited. Then, he let out a huge groan.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" Namid asked.

"I need to remember to tie up loose ends, that's what's wrong," the Doctor said.

"Why? What does the letter say?" Rain said.

"Well, I have no idea how they got my address but this is from the Frelonian Embassy on Mackus. See…about five hundred years ago, back in my seventh life, I saved the king of the Frelons from a virulent plague and gave him a cure to help his people recover as well. In gratitude, he promised that as soon as his one year old daughter came of age, we would be wed. I thought nothing of it, being a time traveler but apparently the princess has come of age and this ring is my engagement ring. The letter gives me the time and place for our engagement ceremony and then three weeks after that, I'm to wed Princess Thelopian and become Prince Doctor, his great and mighty majesty and be next in the line for the Felonian throne."

"Cool," Sokanon said. "So are you gonna go?"

Everyone looked at her in silent shock. The Doctor stared at her while he pointed to Rain.

"You see that woman over there? The one who gave birth to you? That's the person I'm married to so no; I don't wanna go and marry this other woman."

"Then go and tell her no," Jackie said.

"I'd rather just pitch this box in the fire and forget about it," the Doctor said.

"Can I have the ring then?" Sokanon said, holding out her hand.

The Doctor considered that.

"Will you take care of it? It is valuable after all."

"I promise," Sokanon said.

She said, "Yes!" when the Doctor put it in her hand, moved the box aside and went on to the next letter. While he was reading it, Rain glanced at Awinita and leaned into her ear.

"I hope by doing this he didn't just make a big mistake," she whispered to her.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter Forty Eight

The Doctor watched as the runes flared on the wooden staff in M'Yari's hand and her screams echoed around the cave. Uncovering their eyes, they saw that Angus was floating off the ground while a large charred circle stained the ground where he was standing and the Doctor looked at Cameron.

"_Good move, Brother," _the Doctor thought as Cameron smiled and M'Yari growled.

"How dare you rob me of my vengeance!" she shouted as she pointed the staff at Cameron and Cameron placed Angus down, wiggling his fingers. The staff flew out of M'Yar's hand as it clattered to the ground near the TARDIS and she glared at him.

"Godmother, calm down," Frazer said.

"Why are you defending these murderers?" she demanded and the Doctor sighed, pinching his eyes closed.

"We are NOT murderers and THIS was an accident!" the Doctor said and his voice echoed around the cavern.

"What about the Ness?" she asked while true fire flared in her eyes.

"I am truly sorry that it has died but…"

"Where is the egg?" she demanded, pointing to the rock nest that was near the tunnel entrance. The Doctor walked toward the rock nest when he noticed the blue green liquid near the rock nest and took his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, scanning the rock nest.

"_Well, now we know how the kelnarium got into Loch's system," _the Doctor thought as Doc and Theta walked to him and looked down at the blue green liquid.

"_Do you think it picked the egg up and carried out to the water before it died?" _Theta thought.

"_Yep," _the Doctor thought, placing the sonic screwdriver away.

"_And if the current was strong enough, the water would have carried the egg to the shore where Frazer, Angel and Xandy found it," _Doc thought and they nodded.

"What are you doing?" M'Yari shouted while storming toward them and they turned around, looking at her.

"We were looking at the nest," Doc said.

"We think that the Ness must have removed the egg from the nest and released it into the water," Theta said.

"The thing is we think that the egg might have been infected with the toxin," the Doctor said when M'Yari spun around and glared at Angus, who was hiding behind Cameron.

"You have destroyed the Ness!" she screamed and the cave trembled around them.

"I had no idea that it was down here! I swear!" he said when the Doctor placed a hand on M'Yari's shoulder and she growled, glaring back at him.

"Unhand me, Time Lord!" she said as he let go of her and she headed for the tunnel.

"Brother, I don't…" Doc said as the Doctor nodded and he followed M'Yari inside the tunnel. He only walked a few feet when he saw her standing next to the Ness and she had her hand on the Ness' side. Walking closer, the Doctor touched her back when she spun around and tears rolled down her cheeks. The Doctor sighed when he moved closer then wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face into his chest. The warm tears soaked into his shirt as he gently rubbed her back and sent love and comfort into her mind.

"My poor sweet one," she sobbed against his chest as he nodded and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"It was an accident," he whispered.

"There are no accidents, Doctor," she said as she looked up at him and he gently wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Well, let's blame it on ignorance then? He really didn't know that this great creature was down here."

"I demanded justice," she said and he saw the anger in her eyes. He remembered the last time he had seen forest justice and he sighed, shaking his head.

"No, I can't allow you to kill that man. I do promise that he and his men will be punished," he said as she moved away from him and wiped her eyes.

"I will hold you to your word, Time Lord," she said, composing herself.

"May I ask you something?"

"What do you wish to know?" she said with a hint of a smile.

"What are your plans for Frazer? He has expressed his concerns and doesn't like using that chain you gave him."

"Why has he not come to me with these concerns?"

"Well, he wouldn't admit it but it has to do with what you did to him."

"I have never done anything to him. I have only given him a gift."

"And, in return for that gift, you use him as a portal so you can come into this world."

"Yes, I do admit that I need a way to cross over into this world but Fraz'let is in no danger."

"His name is Frazer not Fraz'let. When you use that name, he feel less human and more like a fey."

"I never intended for him to feel that way."

"You still haven't answered my question. What are your plans for Frazer?"

"Now that would be telling," she said with a smile then vanished in a flare of white light and the Doctor covered his eyes. When his vision cleared, M'Yari and the Ness were gone and he growled. Walking down the tunnel, he walked back into the tunnel and Theta and Doc looked at him.

"What happened?" Doc asked.

"She took the Ness and left," the Doctor said then looked at Angus and walked toward him.

"What now?" Angus asked.

"I made a deal with her. She's not going to kill you but you ARE going to pay for what you've done," the Doctor said as a hint of a smile crossed Angus' face then it vanished and Angus started shaking.

"What are you going to do?" he asked and the Doctor pointed to the TARDIS. After they walked inside the TARDISes, the sound of wheezing filled the air and the TARDISes dematerialized.

Volag Nok

The Doctor watched as the guards led Angus and his people into the cells and the warden stood next to the Doctor. The warden was a tall man with long white hair and pink eyes. His skin was a pale blue color and he was wearing black body armor, a black helmet and black boots. Jack had contacted Torchwood Scotland and they were able to gather all of Angus' people. The kelnarium had been confiscated and destroyed and Torchwood Scotland assured them that no trace of the kelnarium was found in the water of the loch. They also assured them that they would use retcon on the villagers and would explain that the storm was a freak thunderstorm.

"Thank you, Doctor, we recently caught their employers and were about to sent someone to arrest them," the warden said and the Doctor nodded.

"What level as you putting them on?" he asked as he looked down at the rows of cells and placed his hands on the railing.

"They will be on the next to the bottom cellblock," the warden said and the Doctor sighed. Nodding, he walked away as he headed for the lift and the lift doors opened. He pushed the button as the lift started moving and he looked at the numbers, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Loch swam under the water while Frazer stood at the edge of the pool and held the chain in his hands. The force field lowered while the Doctor walked toward Frazer and Loch's head broke the surface of the water. Frazer looked at the Doctor while he stopped next to him and Loch swam to the edge of the pool, tilting its head to one side.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked and Frazer sighed.

"Nae really," Frazer sighed, looking at the chain. The Doctor took the chain out of Frazer's hands as he looked at it and frowned.

"When did you get this?"

"She gave it tae me on my third birthday."

"Did she tell you why she gave it to you?"

"She said I was tae use the crystals tae call her an' any other mystical creature if I needed their help. Thing is, I never did need their help. I had you, my dad, my Pa-paw or whoever was around tae help me if I needed it."

"Then why are you keeping it?"

"It's nae like I've nae tried tae get rid of it. Every time I've tried, it comes back."

"Blimey. Did she tell you anything else?" the Doctor asked as he handed the chain back to him then knelt down and patted Loch's head. Loch purred as it nuzzled its head against his hand and he smiled.

"Aye, she told me that there will come a time when the child will stop growing an' the child will no longer need childish things. The child will then no longer see what is an' no longer will the child need help," Frazer said as the Doctor frowned, leaning back on his legs, folding his arms across his chest and arched an eyebrow.

"What does that mean?"

"I have no idea," Frazer sighed then knelt down and patted Loch's head. "Are we going tae put Loch back in the loch?"

"No," the Doctor said, shaking his head. "See, there isn't any kelnarium in the loch but there is kelnarium in the pool in the cave, which is its home. If we let Loch go, it will head for the cave, drink the water and…"

"Aye an' that would be a terrible waste."

"Yep, Jack took my TARDIS and sealed the cave so no one will get hurt if they find it," the Doctor said and Frazer nodded.

"Then if it's alright with you, I'd like tae take him back tae New Gallifrey."

"Are you planning on keeping him in your pool? Talk about a pool toy," the Doctor said with a grin and Frazer laughed.

"No, I was thinking aboot putting him in the zoo."

"What does Angel say about that?"

"She says it's a good idea but Alexander isnae too happy aboot it."

"He'll get over it," the Doctor said as they stood up and Loch looked at them. Heading for the door, they left the room and Loch dived under the water, swimming toward the small island at the center of the pool.

New Gallifrey

The crowd gathered around the large tank as Angel, Adam, Marion, Jenna, Jamie, Alan, Rose and the rest of the family sat in the front row and Miss Kathy and Alexander's class sat in the row behind them. At the center of the tank was a large island and Frazer and Alexander were sitting on the beach, dangling their feet into the water. When the crowd settled in their seats, Frazer used a small clicker and the screens on either side of the tank clicked on, showing a close up of Frazer's face.

"Ladies an' Gentlemen, Boys an' Girls, welcome, today we are introducing the newest member of our zoo family. Most of you will nae believe that what we are going tae show you is real but I assure you that it is. So, without further ado, I am happy to introduce Loch, the Loch Ness Monster!" Frazer said as Alexander walked to the small box sitting next to them and he opened the box.

"It's alright. Come on out," Alexander said when Loch slowly peeked out of the box then waddle out of the box, standing next to him. The screen showed a close up of Loch as it looked around then looked at the water and slid into the water. The cameras in the tank showed Loch swimming then go to the bottom of the tank, swimming upward then sprang out of the water. The crowd cheered as Loch did a flip then went back into the water and the spray of water erupted into the air.

"Woo-hoo!" Alan cheered as the crowd applauded and Frazer and Alexander smiled. Frazer told the story about what happened while Alexander fed Loch some fish and Alan sniffed, wiping his eyes.

"Are you crying?" Adam asked with a grin on his face.

"No, I just got water in my eyes," Alan said and Adam gently nudged him. After the crowds left, Miss Kathy brought the children to the platform to the right of the tank and Frazer looked at the children. Miss Kathy was a little reluctant to touch Loch at first until it waddle toward her and gently thumped its head against her leg. She gently patted its head as Loch softly purred and Frazer smiled. One by one, the children patted Loch when Michael walked closer and Loch growled, waddled away and dived into the water. Michael looked at Frazer when Frazer shrugged and Alexander covered his mouth so they wouldn't see him laughing.

"So, now do you believe in the Loch Ness Monster?" Frazer asked Michael and Michael nodded. Smiling, Frazer led Miss Kathy and the children down the ramp and Loch hopped up onto the island, spun around three times, laid down on its stomach, closed its eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter Forty Nine

(Three months later…)

Rain hugged Awinita and Nelak when they came into the house. Nelak was carrying two large bags with him while Awinita carried a smaller bag.

"Hey Sis, great to see ya," Awinita said. "Is the Doctor here?"

"No, he and Alan took Dex, Chas and Chris to some father/son festival on the planet Bana, they won't be back for awhile."

"Well, Nelak and I went to an Indian Powwow in Oklahoma City and we brought you guys some gifts, both you and Alan's family."

"How was the powwow?" Rain asked as she closed the door behind them.

"It was wonderful. I love going to them," Awinita said. "But it's kinda irritating sometimes because people are always surprised that I know so much about Cherokee history and culture when I'm this tall, blonde haired, blue eyed woman. They also get a kick outta Nelak's hair."

"Who doesn't?" Rain said, tousling his hair.

Awinita smiled when Namid and Sokanon came down the stairs toward them.

"Hi, Uncle Nelak and Aunt Awinita!" Sokanon said as she held her sister's hand.

"Hi, guys, guess what? We have some presents for you," Awinita said.

"Ooo, what?" Namid said.

"Well, sit down on the couch and we'll show you," Awinita said.

Rain, Sokanon and Namid sat down on the sofa while Nelak and Awinita sat down in the chairs next to them. She reached into one of the bigger sacks first and pulled out a large mandala. It was a rawhide shield that was stretched over a wooden frame that had rawhide wrapped around it. At the bottom of the frame were several raven feathers. She turned it around and showed her the painting on the rawhide. Rain gasped when she saw it. At the top of the mandala someone had painted her husband's head. Beside him was an identical head except the face was white with a red lighting bolt running from under his right eye to the middle of his right cheek. Next to him was Rain and around the mandala in a circle was all the Doctor's children. In the center of them all was a large raven's head. Namid oooed when Rain showed her what it looked like.

"This is gorgeous, Nita," Rain said.

"Thanks. I paid to have it done from a very talented artist who was selling a bunch of handmade ones at the arts and crafts show they had there. We had them do two of them and then came back a day later to get them. The man who painted them is also psychic and can tell people what their animal totems are. I gave the man photographs of you and the Doctor and all the kids and he painted the heads on there but he told me that he saw that your husband had the power of the thunderstorm inside him. Makes sense since he's known as the Oncoming Storm. That's what this duel image is. The lightning bolt under his eye represents his power. And the raven is his totem since the raven is the Thunderbird."

"Cool!" Sokanon said.

"And that's why he put raven's feathers underneath it. Anyway, we think it's gorgeous."

"So do I," Rain said. "He'll love this and this'll definitely go above our TV."

"And I had him paint one for Alan," Awinita said, handing her the mandala and pulling out the other one.

She held it up and turned it around. The man had painted Alan at the top with a duel image of him with a white face that had thick black lines around the eyes and mouth and two black dots on his cheeks. Rose was beside him and his children were spaced around in a circle. In the center was a coyote and hanging down from the frame were thin strips of coyote fur. Rain raised her eyebrow when she noticed that Tia was painted both in her human form and her Ulu form next to it.

"You told him that Tia was an Ulu?" she said to her.

"No, I gave him a photo of her as a human but he told me that he felt compelled to paint her in her Ulu form. Except he called it an Avatar being with white hair which is accurate, I guess. But he told me that Alan's totem is the coyote because the coyote is a trickster being who likes playing pranks and doing things out of the ordinary that to most people look like foolishness but in the end coyote's actions have great wisdom behind them. Same with the duel image. It's the Clown Kachina. Another being that acts like a fool but is in reality very wise."

"That's Alan to a tee," Rain said.

"I thought so too. We think he'll love it."

"Oh, I know he will, so will Rose. Don't know if Tia will be thrilled about her human form being on the mandala but at least he painted her real form too."

"And I think Alan will be pleased that his totem is different from the Doctor's since he's tried so hard to be a different person than him," Nelak added as Awinita nodded in agreement.

"Coyote fits him perfectly. Actually, it fits all the clones. I wonder if all of them have the same totem?" Rain said.

"Dunno, but it would be worth finding out. They'd probably like to know anyway," Awinita said. "But for the moment, I have to give Soki and Mi-mi their gifts."

Both girls leaned forward in anticipation as Awinita reached into one of the large sacks and gave them two medium sized red boxes. Both girls opened them as Rain leaned over and watched. Sokanon gasped when she saw a handmade kachina doll nestled in tissue paper.

"Oh, that's beautiful," Rain said as she pulled it out.

Namid felt around the inside of her box and pulled out another kachina doll. Rain showed her what it looked like and she ooed at it.

"What is it?" Namid asked.

"They're kachina dolls, baby," Rain said. "Yours is called the Rainbow Kachina and yours, Soki, is Corn Maiden Kachina. They're the representation of sacred Hopi and Zuni Indian spirits that live in the mountains around their pueblos. They represent many things in nature and they're very helpful beings. The Corn Maiden helped purify women who grind corn for ceremonies and Rainbow Kachinas bring peace and harmony among the tribes."

Sokanon stared at hers. It was made out of wood and depicted a dancer wearing a woman's dress with buckskin leggings. She wore a cape and had a yellow mask on with black rectangular slits for eyes. At the bottom of the mask was red cords of rope with three eagle feathers over them. The hair was in maiden's whorls which resembled Princess Leia's hairdo in Star Wars. She was carrying a plate with three ears of blue corn on it. Namid's kachina was wearing fur leggings with a buckskin loincloth. There was a tuft of fur under the white mask that had the same black eye slits in it. Above the mask was an arch of yellow blue and red colors and above that were rainbow tufts of feathers. The dancer carried two red fans in her hands. Namid held the image in her mind's eye while she ran stroked the tufts of feathers.

"We got them from two different vendors. That's why Soki's is wood and Mi-mi's is leather and fur and feathers. We figured you might like those."

Both girls got up and hugged them both tightly.

"I'm glad you like them. Now, for Chas, we got a thunder kachina since he's the Doctor's son.

She pulled out another box and showed them. The male kachina's mask was turquoise with the eye slits, an upside down triangular nose and two parallel lines on either side of the nose. Under the mask was a circular rim of fur and above it was something that resembled a boy's beanie cap with propeller. The beanie cap part was red and orange and lined in black and white and the propeller-like part was red and jutted out on four sides. It had on moccasins, leggings, a white loincloth that with black lines around the edge, two white sashes crisscrossed his bare, bluish chest. Two turquoise armbands were around his upper arms and he was holding blue and black rattles in his hands.

"And for Chris, I got him a clown kachina because of his dad."

She showed it to them. The clown kachina had the same face that Alan's painting did. It was dressed in a long outfit that resembled black and white stripped longjohns or the stereotypical prisoner's outfit. On his head was a black and white beanie-like cap with two long horn-like attachments that were also black and white with brown tufts of feathers at the end. It wore white leather boots and his hair was pulled back and tied up to resemble a sideways bow. In both hands he carried slices of watermelon. Rain and the girls admired the two male Kachinas while Awinita reached into the sack and pulled out a couple more large boxes.

"They also had food there and I brought back some fry bread and buffalo burgers for you guys," she said, giving the boxes to Rain.

"Thanks, Sis. You did get some for Alan, right?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot? I wouldn't dream of not getting that eating machine anything lest he whine," she teased.

"What did you get?" Rain asked her.

She reached into the smaller sack and showed her a small handpainted drum that had a thunderbird painted on it. It came with a small drumstick and she handed it to Rain as she and the children admired it.

"He, on the other hand, had to have this…"

She pulled out a tomahawk with a stone head, wooden handle and two eagle feathers tied to it. Rain raised her eyebrow.

"You gonna use this on your wife?" she said to Nelak.

"if she gets out of line, I will," he said as Awinita swatted him.

They put the gifts back and Rain went to warm up some of the burgers and fry bread for her and the children.

"So, how have you been?" Nelak asked the children. "Staying out of trouble?"

"Yup, we're good girls," Sokanon said.

"Why don't I believe that?" Nelak said as they giggled.

He noticed a bulge in Sokanon's jeans pocket and pointed to it.

"What's that?"

"Oh, that's Daddy's ring," she said, pulling it out and showing him the gold ring.

Nelak and Awinita glanced at each other.

"Hey, heard anything more from that princess who wants your husband?" Nelak yelled.

"No and God willing, we won't hear anything," Rain yelled back. "I doubt if they know where he's at. He's gone all the time and besides, his address is a PO box not an actual address. Who knows how long ago that thing was mailed."

She came out into the hallway.

"And if that princess does come here, I'll be using your tomahawk to scalp her ass," she said.

"I'll be sure to leave the tomahawk here then," Nelak said as the children giggled.

Rain winked at him and went back into the kitchen while he and Awinita chatted with the children.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter Fifty

"Daddy, we're bored," Theta's eight year old son, Cameron, said as he and his cousin, David, walked inside the TARDIS and Theta and Adam's legs stuck out from under the console.

"How can you be bored with a house full of computer games, a pool, board games and who knows what else you have in your room?" Theta asked from under the console and Cam sat on Theta's legs. "Oi, who said you could use me as a chair?"

"We want to go somewhere," David said as he sat on Adam's legs and Adam looked up at him.

"Then go get your bikes and go for a ride," Adam said, smiling.

"That's boring," Cam sighed.

"We want to go somewhere fun," David said.

"Oh, really, got any place in mind?" Theta asked, looking at the boys.

"Can we go to Sea World?" Cam asked and Theta looked at Adam.

"Do you want to go to Sea World?" he asked and Adam sighed.

"Not really," Adam said while looking up at the wires and David giggled. "And what is so funny?"

"You haven't wanted to go since that time Shamu splashed you,' David said, giggling and Theta arched an eyebrow at Adam.

"And what were you doing that Shamu splashed you?" he asked.

"I was just sitting there and watching the show when the big bugger did this big flip then went back into the water only inches away from the wall of the tank. The water flew out of the tank and splashed me. I was soaking wet and my underpants were stuck up my butt!" Adam said and Theta snorted a laugh. "It's not funny!"

"Yes, it was," Theta said then looked at Cam and David. "Go get your mums. We're going to Sea World."

The boys cheered then left the room and Adam looked at Theta.

"There is NO way you are getting me to go with you!" he said as he got out from under the console and leaned against it. Theta crawled out from under the console as he looked at Adam and patted Adam's shoulder.

"Which Sea World was it?"

"It was the one in Ohio," Adam said when Theta turned then pushed the buttons and they looked at the screen. Theta placed on his glasses when he scanned the listings and smiled, taking the glass off.

"Want to go to the Sea World in Orlando, Florida?" Theta asked as Adam looked at the park map and smiled.

"Ooo, yeah, can we go there?" Adam asked, rubbing his hands together.

"I knew those three roller coasters would change your mind!"

"You know how much I love roller coasters!" Adam said with smile and Theta laughed. A few minutes later Frankie and Marion walked inside the TARDIS as the boys half dragged them up the ramp and Theta snapped his fingers, causing the doors to close behind them. "Show off."

"You're jealous because you can't do it," Theta said as Adam looked at him and arched his eyebrows up.

"Oh yeah?" he said then snapped his fingers and the doors opened. Snapping his fingers, they watched the doors close again and he folded his arms over his chest, giving Theta a smug look. Smiling, Theta placed his hand behind his back, snapped his fingers and the doors opened. Bending over, Adam placed his hand between his legs and snapped his fingers, making the doors close. For ten minutes, they tried different positions as they snapped their fingers when the TARDIS sent a mild electrical current through them and they yelped.

"That'll teach you," Frankie said while Marion laughed and Adam and Theta sighed. After setting the co ordinance and pulling the main hand break, they held onto the console and the TARDIS slowly dematerialized.

Orlando, Florida

"Right, what shall we do first?" Theta said after they had paid to go into the park and Adam held the map in his hands.

"Can we go eat first? I haven't had lunch yet," Frankie said as Adam looked at the map and smiled.

"It's a bit of a walk but how about the Shark Underwater Grill? It's near Shark Encounters," Adam said as they nodded and started walking. The TARDIS had supplied them with a guide book to the park as Marion looked up the restaurant and Frankie looked over her shoulder.

"Sharks Underwater Grill is one of the most spectacular restaurants in Orlando. Dine alongside the floor-to-ceiling wall of an amazing underwater home to more than fifty sharks of all species and sizes. The menu is full of delightful seasonal choices, like pan-seared snapper, blackened sea scallops and one of the best children's menus in the park," Marion read as they came to the restaurant and a small queue was in front of the door. After a short wait, they walked inside the restaurant as a young woman walked over to them and smiled.

"Hello, welcome to the Shark Underwater Grill, would you like to sit near the tank window?" she asked and Theta smiled.

"Yes, that would be nice," he said as she nodded and removed four adult menus and two children's menus from the holder. They walked by the other people enjoying their meals when they came to the table near the window and David and Cam gasped.

"Ooo!" they said as the young woman placed the menus on the table and walked away. Theta and Adam helped Frankie and Marion with the chairs and gently pushed the chairs to the table. David and Cam sat near the window as Theta and Adam sat down and the boys watched the sharks swimming by.

"Gee, Brother, do you think it's a good idea for them to be sitting next to the window?" Adam asked, looking at the boys to the window and Theta looked at them.

"I don't know, Brother. The sharks might think they're chum and might try to break the glass to get to them."

"No they won't," David said.

"Ooo, that big one there looks really hungry!" Adam said, pointing to the shark swimming by and Marion glared at him.

"Will you stop?" she said as the waiter came over and smiled at them.

"Hello, my name is Scott and I'll be your waiter today. Does anyone want something to drink while you decided what you'd like to eat?" Scott asked.

"That sounds like a good idea," Theta said then looked at the drinks and pointed. "Can I have the ice tea with a twist of lemon?"

"Of course," Scott said and the others gave him their drink choices. Nodding, he walked away as the boys looked at the children's play mats and crayons. Taking the crayons out of the plastic wrap, the boys started coloring the picture on the play mats and chatted about the sharks going by. Scott came back with the drinks as he set them on the table and Theta looked at the menu.

"Right, think I'll have the pan-seared snapper with a baked potato and carrots," he said and Scott nodded, writing on the pad.

"I'd like that, too, except I want French fries instead of the baked potato," Frankie said and Scott nodded.

"Is the tuna steak fresh?" Adam asked.

"Yes, Sir, we just got some this morning," Scott said.

"I'll have that with a baked potato and green beans," Adam said and Scott nodded.

"I'd like the blackened sea scallops with French fries and carrots," Marion said and Scott wrote on the pad.

"What do you want?" Adam said and David looked at him.

"Can I have a cheeseburger?" he asked and Adam's eyes went wide.

"We're in a seafood restaurant and you want a cheeseburger?" he asked and David nodded.

"It's on the menu," he said as David pointed to the picture and Adam rolled his eyes, ruffling David's head.

"Fine, my burger eating son would like a cheeseburger," Adam said and Scott smiled, writing on the pad.

"Do you want fries, too, Love?" Marion asked.

"Yeah, I'd like that, please, with carrots," David said and Scott nodded.

"You want one, too, Cam?" Frankie asked and he looked at the menu.

"No, can I have the tuna melt and fries?" he asked and Scott nodded. "I'd like some carrots though."

"No problem," Scott said as he took the menus then walked away. The boys watched the sharks swimming by when Adam gasped and looked at the tank.

"Brother, that one nearly crashed into the glass," he said and the boys moved their chairs toward Theta and Adam.

"Knock it off or you can't go on the roller coasters!" Marion said as Adam sunk into the chair and pouted.

"You're silly, Daddy," David said as Adam sat up and ruffled David's hair. A few minutes later Scott came back with a tray as he set the plates in front of them and placed the bottles of tartar sauce and ketchup on the table. Nodding, they watched him leave when Theta picked up the fork and looked at the food on his plate. He felt the privacy block going up when he heard a low thumping noise and looked over to his left. Cartoon sharks had their faces pressed against the glass as they pounded their fins against the glass and tears rolled down their faces.

"No, not Cousin Arnie!" one of the sharks sobbed as the other cartoon sharks patted its back and he smiled. Suddenly Cartoon Adam appeared in the tank, wearing scuba diving gear and had a large knife and meat clever in his hands. With a wink, he started swirling his arms around in circles as he headed for the sharks and their eyes went wide. Cartoon clouds appeared around the sharks as loud chopping sounds filled the air and Theta frowned. The cartoon clouds vanished as Cartoon Adam appeared behind a wooden table and dishes of sushi was on the table.

"Are you ok?" Frankie asked as Theta coughed and nodded. He smiled at Adam as Adam shrugged and Theta softly laughed.

"_You have been hanging around Alan too long." _Theta thought.

"_Yep," _Adam thought as he winked at him and they went back to eating their meals.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter Fifty One

(Meanwhile on Bana…)

The Doctor and Alan walked with their sons past colorful tents and marquee at the 110th annual father/son bash in Banorica. They had done several things together and they had just gotten plastic cups of Sora, a honey flavored drink. The adults got a slightly alcoholic version while Chaska and Christopher had a non-alcoholic version.

"This is good, Daddy," Chaska said after taking a sip.

"It is, isn't it," the Doctor said. "Tastes a bit like mead. Course the mead I had was far superior."

"What's that?" Christopher asked.

"A drink made of honey. It was s'posed to be the drink of the gods in ancient Greece. But I had it during a Bacchanalia when I visited there one time. What a party that was."

"Oh yes," Alan said. "I remember it well. Remember Adrasteia? She was one beautiful woman and quite a lovely dancer."

"Ah yes, she whipped herself into a frenzy after ten pots of wine, didn't she?" the Doctor said.

Chaska and Christopher looked at each other and Chaska looked up at his big brother.

"Why does Daddy do this? He starts talking about strange things and I don't know what he's talking about."

"Yeah, well, he's done this as long as I've known him, Chas," Dex said as the Doctor and Alan sniggered. "I've known him for all except two hundred of his years and he's always gone off into these weird tangents that no one can follow."

"What do you mean? Brother, can you understand what I'm saying?" the Doctor asked Alan.

"Perfectly."

They sniggered as Dex looked at the children and shook his head. The Doctor patted his eldest son on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I know I rabbit on a bit, but you have to get used to that," he said as they walked along.

They stopped by a playing field with a soccer net at one end. Above the entrance to it was a sign that said, FATHER/SON FOOTBALL. TRY YOUR LUCK AND SCORE A GOAL.

"Brilliant, they have father/son footie here," the Doctor said. "Would you like to have a go, my sons?"

"Chas can, I'm not too familiar with the sport," Dex said.

"How 'bout you, little man?" Alan asked Christopher.

"Okay," he said.

"You go first then so I can laugh when your son defeats ya," the Doctor said as Chaska giggled.

"I'll make you eat those words," Alan said.

"Mm-hm," the Doctor said as Alan and Christopher walked up to a booth beside the entrance and paid to try their luck. The man behind the booth gave Alan the football and he handed it to Christopher.

"I'll be goalie," he said, running across the field to the net.

Christopher dropped the football on the ground in front of the entrance. Meanwhile, Alan began to playfully taunt his son.

"Uh-huh, you can't get past me," he said as his son and Chaska giggled. "You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, or this…"

He turned around and began to wiggle his butt.

"Couldn't hit this if you tried," he said in a sing-song voice as he pointed to his wiggling butt.

Christopher grinned. He kicked the ball and everyone bent over laughing when it smacked right into Alan's ass.

"What was that, Daddy?" Christopher said as the Doctor leaned against Dex, howling with laughter. "You said I couldn't hit your bum?"

Alan rubbed his butt while he turned around. He looked down and saw the ball was about a foot in front of him.

"Yes, well, you didn't actually kick it into the net," he said to Christopher.

"Forget the net," the Doctor said between bursts of laughter. "I like that he got your bum instead! Chris, I'll give you 400 credits and buy you a steak dinner if you make that shot again for me and my camera."

"No!" Alan said as everyone laughed. "Just play the ball as intended. Come on; try to get it into the net with me here!"

They laughed when Christopher kicked it and it zoomed past his father straight into the back of the net. They laughed harder when Alan pretended it didn't happen.

"Come on, ya pansy, I can stop anything ya throw at me!" he said as he danced back and forth in front of the net. "You're such a weakling, you couldn't even kick the ball two inches, let alone to the back…"

He did a double take and Christopher giggled when he jumped up, spun around and stared at the ball, his mouth agape.

"What, what, what? How did that get there?" Alan said, scratching his head as he stared at the ball. "Hmmm, must have dropped through another dimension and came out a dimensional rift into the net."

"I did it, Daddy," Christopher said, coming up to him.

Alan stared at him, bug-eyed. Christopher laughed as he picked him up and stared at him as he walked back to the entrance.

"Who are you? What have you done with my son, you evil alien who can cause dimensional rifts?" he said as Christopher giggled.

He gave his son a kiss on the cheek, ran to retrieve the ball and gave it back to the man in the booth. He gave the Doctor a pointed look.

"Come, Chas, your uncle won't rest until he watches us and compares our performance to his," the Doctor said, taking his hand.

They walked over to the booth while Christopher walked over to Dex.

"Did you see what I did?"

"I did. I liked that you kicked it into the net and into your father's bum."

"That was a lucky shot," Alan said, pointing at Christopher. "My bum is still hurting from that. But I'm proud of my son. He has good aim and a hard kick; he'll make a great Time Lord."

They watched as the Doctor dropped the football to the ground in front of him while Chaska tried to defend the net. They laughed when Chaska imitated Alan and did the butt wiggling again while he pointed it.

"Son, you sure you wanna tempt fate? If I kick the ball into your bum, you'll be flattened against the back of the net," the Doctor said.

Chaska turned around and readied himself while the Doctor kicked the ball slightly towards the net. His son paused when he got the ball onto his foot and kicked it up and then did a series of knee kicks while his son watched. Then he kicked hard with his left knee and sent the ball up, knocking it into the net with his head.

"Ha! Diversion and deception, always works," the Doctor crowed as he walked toward the net. "You wanna give it a try, Chas?"

"Chaska nodded. Took the ball and walked over to the entrance while the Doctor leaned against the side of the net, yawned and examined his fingernails. Chaska aimed and kicked the ball hard into the net while the Doctor continued his fingernail inspection.

"Let me know when you're ready, Chas," he said as Chaska giggled. "That way I can be prepared and…"

His eyes bulged and he did the same double take/slack jawed maneuver Alan did as he stared at the ball.

"Blimey, I think you were right about dimensional rifts, Brother. Happened again!" he said as Chaska and Christopher giggled.

"Told ya. We need to run a scan in the TARDIS when we get back there and make sure the universe isn't splintering apart."

"Yeah, because I don't know how that ball coulnda got by me," the Doctor said, picking it up.

He ruffled Chaska's hair as he walked past him. Once the ball was returned, the little group walked on looking for something else to do.

(Meanwhile…)

Rain went upstairs to take a shower while Nelak and Awinita talked to the children.

"So where is the Doc today?" Nelak asked.

"Dada went with a friend to discuss building a park," Nelak said.

"A park?" Awinita said.

"Yeah," Sokanon said. "His friend designs gardens and Doc is helping him build one here in the city."

"And he didn't take Mi-mi along as advisor of everything?" Nelak teased.

Namid giggled at that and shook her head.

"Well, you can come with me then. I'll find ya something to do," Nelak said.

"Don't Mi-mi, it's a trap!" Awinita said.

"Yes, I'll find you plenty of work in the mines, I mean…the amusement park," Nelak said as the children giggled. "Sorry, don't know why I said mines, must have been a slip of the tongue."

He winked at Awinita as the children came over and hugged him.

Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Does Doc knock?" Nelak asked.

"Hey, that rhymes!"

Nelak eyed his wife who gave him a sly grin as the children giggled.

"Ahem, does Doc knock when he wants in?" he repeated.

"No, he has a key," Sokanon said. "Must be someone else. I'll get it."

"Nah, let me get it, safer that way," Nelak said.

He got up and walked over to the door. He opened it expecting to see a familiar face but instead he saw a short, pudgy man with teal skin and short brown hair in a buzz cut. The man's black eyes drifted up to Nelak's purple hair and he gave a disdainful snort that made Nelak narrow his eyes.

"Who are you?" he said coldly.

"I, am Zod, advisor to the emperor of Mackus. I'm here to see the Doctor."


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter Fifty Two

Marion sighed as Adam ate his meal when he looked at her and blinked, placing a forkful of green beans into his mouth.

"What?" he asked after chewing and swallowing the green beans.

"When are you going to get over this aversion toward carrots?" she asked and Theta frowned.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Adam hates carrots," Marion said and Theta's mouth fell open.

"What, no way, my brother loves carrots because I do!" Theta said as he poked several slices of carrots on his fork and stood up, leaning over the table. "Come on, Brother, open up and show your silly wife how much you love carrots."

"No," Adam said, pressing his lips together and crossed his arms over his chest. Theta moved the fork around in front of Adam's face and Adam shook his head. Sighing, Theta sat down then placed the carrots in his mouth and chewed.

"Why don't you like carrots, Daddy?" David asked, placing some carrots into his mouth.

"Well, it has to do with our Donna. She never liked them, so it's only fair that I don't," Adam said with a shrug and went back to his meal.

"But they're good for you," Frankie said but Adam shook his head and they sighed, dropping the subject. Scott returned and asked if they wanted any dessert and they looked at the menus. After ordering, Scott walked away and they chatted until he returned. Marion had ordered for both her and Adam as Scott placed the slice of cake in front of him and Adam picked up the fork. He placed some of the cake into his mouth as he smiled and ate some of the ice cream next to the cake.

"Are you enjoying that, Brother?" Theta asked and Adam nodded.

"It's great!" Adam said with a grin.

"Do you know what it is?" Marion asked.

"It's cake."

"But what kind of cake is it?" Frankie asked and the boys giggled.

"What's so funny?" Adam said as he finished the cake and placed the fork on the plate.

"You just ate carrot cake, Brother," Theta said and Adam's eyes went wide.

"I…I ate…No…No way!" Adam said and they laughed. Slumping down in the chair, Adam frowned as he pushed the plate away from him and Marion kissed his cheek, making him smile.

"Ooo!" the boys said as they walked through the underwater viewing tunnel in Shark Encounter and pointed to a great white shark that was swimming overhead. Theta and Frankie followed behind them while Adam and Marion strolled along and she placed her head against his arm.

"Sorry that I trick you, Love," she said as he smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"To be honest, that wasn't the first time I had carrot cake," he said and she looked at him with a confused look on her face.

"When was the first time?"

"It was one of the galas your…" Adam said then saw the sadness in her eyes and sighed. He knew that she still smarted over being rejected by her mother after they became Time Lords and Time Ladies and looked at a tiger shark swimming by. "It was at a gala."

"Oh, right, Margie made it and you had three slices," she said with a smile and he nodded.

"It's funny that that's the only way I'll eat them. Maybe it's the cream cheese icing that dulls the taste," he said as she giggled and they went to catch up with the others.

They sat in silence while watching the A'lure – The Call of the Ocean show and the performers do silk yo-yos, gravity-defying aerial tumbling and other flying acts and Theta and Adam held onto their wives.

"_Now there is something you couldn't get me to do," _Frankie thought as she placed her head on Theta's shoulder and he placed his head against hers.

"_Oh, I don't know. You've done some pretty amazing things in zero gravity," _he thought and Adam coughed.

"_If you two are going to get kinky, put up a privacy block. There are children present!" _Adam thought and Theta glared at him.

"_I was talking about the time I took her into the zero gravity room!" _Theta thought and Adam smiled, gently nudging him in the ribs. Shaking his head, Theta sighed then kissed the top of Frankie's head and watched the show.

"Ack!" David said when the walrus in Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island squirted water into the air and he got caught in the spray. "That was cool, Daddy!"

"Great, now my son is covered in walrus spit," Adam said when David slid closer and hugged him. "Ah, now I'm covered in walrus spit!"

"You're not going to melt!" Marion teased and Adam sighed, folding his arms over his chest.

"When do I get to ride a roller coaster?"

"Soon, Son, soon," Theta said as he patted Adam's head and Adam growled at him. Theta laughed as they went back to watching the show and Adam slid his arm around David.

"Smile and wave, Boys," Cam said while they walked through Penguin Encounter and David tapped a finger against his lips.

"Wonder which one's Skipper," David said as they looked at the penguins when he saw one with a slightly flat head and smiled. "There he is."

The boys giggled as they walked along and Theta looked at a tall penguin at the back. It waddled toward the water then slid on the ice, going into the water. It swam around then came to the glass and Theta gently placed his hand on the glass.

"Are you ok, Love?" Frankie asked as she walked to him and held the Penguin Encounter t-shirt she had bought in her hands.

"Yep, just thinking about an old friend," he said then told her about Frobisher, who traveled with him in his sixth life.

"But why did he want to stay as a penguin?"

"I have no idea. The only downside to it was my TARDIS smelt like fish for months after he left," he said and she laughed. The penguin swam away as they went to join the others and he held her to his side.

"Wow!" Adam, David and Cam said as they looked at the Kraken rollercoaster and Marion looked in the guide book.

"This is tallest, fastest and only floorless steel rollercoaster in Orlando," she said then checked the height requirements and sighed. "Uh-oh, we have a problem."

"What's wrong?" Adam asked.

"You have to be 137 cm or taller to ride this and the boys aren't that tall," she said as he looked at the boys and they pouted.

"Well, we won't ride it then," Adam said and the boys gave him a stunned look.

"No, Daddy, it's ok," David said.

"But I wanted to conquer the Kraken with you two!" Adam whimpered.

"Maybe next time, Uncle Adam, that looks to scary to me," Cam said and Adam pouted.

"Nope, won't be any fun unless I can hear you two scream like scared little girls while we're riding it," he said with a grin and they walked away, heading down the path.

"Woo-hoo!" Adam and Theta shouted as they rode the Manta rollercoaster while they rode facedown across the water and held their breath when they went under the water. The fish were a blur as they sailed by then came to the surface and Adam looked at Theta. "Having fun, Brother?"

"Yep!" Theta said as he popped the "p" and they laughed. After the ride was over, they dried off with the towels Marion and Frankie bought in the gift shop and went to have lunch. They looked at the turtles at Turtle Point, got soaked riding Journey to Atlantis, strolled through Jewel of the Sea Aquarium and watched Blue Horizons when Theta noticed that the sun was setting and frowned.

"Blimey, I didn't know it was getting that late," he said as Adam smiled and shook his head.

"The Doctor is worried about time?" he whispered and Theta gently shoved him.

"I'm just worried that the boys are getting tired," he said as they looked over at Cam and David, who were sitting on the benches with Marion and Frankie, and Adam nodded.

"We did wear them out," he said as he walked to the bench and knelt down in front of David. "Having fun, Bump?"

"Yeah," David said then softly yawned and shook his head out.

"Looks like someone's getting sleepy," Adam teased, ruffling David's hair.

"Nope, I'm good. Can we go see Shamu now?"

"But that's all the way on the other side of the park," Adam whimpered and David giggled.

"Are you getting tired, Daddy?"

"Who? Me? Nope! I'm good to go! In fact, I shall race you to Shamu!" he said as David stood up and Marion glared at him. "What?"

"No racing unless you want the security guys to think you're trying to kidnap him or something," she said and Adam's eyes went wide.

"But he's my son! Wouldn't they see the family resemblance?" he asked, pressing his cheek against David's cheek. "See, we're practically twins!"

"When did he turn into Alan?" Frankie whispered and Marion laughed.

"If you want to go see the last show then walk, understand?" Marion asked and Adam stood up, saluting her. Rolling her eyes, she watched them walk away when Frankie noticed that Theta was missing at looked at Cam, who was almost dozing against her.

"Where is your daddy?" she asked and he pointed toward Dolphin Cove. Standing up, she slid Cam toward Marion then walked down the path and looked around, trying to find Theta. She found him feeding some fish to the dolphins and she took pictures of him smiling as the dolphins took the fish out of his hand. Turning his head, he gave her a big grin as she took his picture and smiled. She walked next to him as they looked at the dolphins and she slid her arms around his. "Adam took David to see the Shamu show."

"Ok," Theta sighed and she saw the sadness in his eyes. "Sorry, Love, but I don't like zoos."

"This isn't a zoo."

"In a way it is. I don't think they mind being around people but they should be out in the ocean, swimming free."

"But most of their natural habitats are being destroyed or they're being hunted. I think they're safer here," she said when he turned to her and kissed her lips. Suddenly a dolphin dove out of the water then dove under the water and the spray covered them and a few others that were standing next to them. "Blimey, that's cold!"

She watched as Theta slid down to the ground and leaned against the pool wall. She knelt down as he closed his eyes and she was wondering if he was alright. His body started shaking when he started laughing and folded his arms over his stomach. Helping him up after he stopped laughing, she watched as the same dolphin swam closer and Theta reached down, patting its head. Rolling his eyes then shaking his head, he took Frankie's hand and they went back to where Marion and Cam sitting.

"Daddy?" Cam asked while Theta tucked the duvet around him then sat on the edge of the bed and smiled at him.

"What is it, Oh Wonderful Son of Mine?" he asked and Cam yawned, rolling onto his side.

"Thanks for taking us to Sea World," he whispered then sighed and drifted off to sleep. Feeling his hearts swelling, Theta got up and kissed the top of Cam's head, walking to the door. Turning the light off, he looked back at Cam when he smiled then left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Is he asleep?" Marion asked while Adam walked into the kitchen and leaned on the kitchen island.

"Yep," he said as he popped the "p" then looked at what Marion was eating. "What is that?"

"Oh, just a recipe that Grace gave me, want to try it?" she asked as he walked to her and she scooped the brown mass onto the spoon.

"It looks like chocolate mousse," he said when she slid the spoon into his mouth and he felt the creamy mass against his tongue. Swallowing, he opened his mouth and she fed him another bite. "Oh, this is good!"

"Close your mouth," she teased and fed him some more. "Now, do you know what this is?"

"No, what is it?"

"It's two ripe avocados, raw chocolate powder and…"

"What?" Adam asked, arching his eyebrow.

"Raw carrot powder," she said and his eyes went wide.

"Hold on! I just ate carrots…again?"

"Yes, you did," she said as she teased him with another spoonful and he sighed, opening his mouth.

"This doesn't mean I like them," he said with his mouth full and she laughed.

"Shut your gob and I promise that you only have to eat them in this and in carrot cake, ok?" she asked and he nodded. Moving closer, he slid his arms around her as he kissed her and she placed the bowl down on the counter, wrapping her arms around his neck.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter Fifty Three

Nelak stared at the short man as Awinita stood up and got the children behind her.

"I'm sorry, the Doctor doesn't live here," he said to him.

Zod scoffed at that.

"I am not a fool. We know he is here. We sent the engagement ring to him. There was a tracking device inside the ring and we tracked it here."

"Ought-oh," Sokanon said softly.

"Now, step aside, I have business with the Doctor."

"I'm afraid that's a negative, mate," Nelak said. "The Doctor isn't here and since he's the head of the household, you'll just have to come back another time."

Zod let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'm not a fool…mate. The ring has been tracked to this location which must mean he's here."

"Not if he didn't put it on his sodding finger," Nelak said in a snotty voice.

He heard Awinita calling to Sokanon to come back and looked back to see her walking up beside him. She pulled the ring out of her trouser pocket.

"The ring's with me, sir. Daddy let me have it," she said, showing it to him.

"Daddy? How can the Doctor be your father?" Zod bellowed at her.

"First off, don't scream at her!" Nelak said angrily as Sokanon ducked behind him. "Secondly, the Doctor is already married and has children, that's how!"

"How is this possible? He was engaged to Princess Thelopian!" Zod said.

"I s'pose he didn't take the arrangement as seriously as you did," Nelak said shrugging.

While this was going on, Rain hid at the top of the stairs. She had heard the commotion while she was getting dressed and hurriedly threw some clothes on and came out to take a look. As she listened, she groaned and pulled out her mobile.

"Thete, I love you but sometimes I wish you'd take care of your problems instead of ignoring them and pretending they'll go away," she muttered as she dialed his number.

"Help me! Help me!"

The Doctor giggled at Alan who was calling to his son in a high-falsetto voice. Both men and Dex were part of a game to see if their sons could reach them via a rope ladder. The ladder was had a rope frame that was attached from the ground to a platform eight feet off the ground at a forty five angle. The rungs were made of iron and the idea was to climb the ladder up to the platform to "save" the family members who were sitting in a chair waiting for them. The trick was to hang on to the ladder as the person went up since it was loose and wobbly and a wrong move could send the person off the ladder into some inflatable mattresses below them. Alan was on one side of a Perspex partition while Christopher climbed on the top of the ladder while the Doctor was on the other side with Dex as Chaska did the same to try to reach them. Alan was pretending to be a maiden in distress while the Doctor and Dex just tried to cheer on Chaska as he scaled the rope ladder towards them.

"Help me!" Alan shrieked as Christopher giggled. "Oh, won't anyone save me from some unnamable unclear danger to my person?"

"Daddy, stop that, you sound strange," Christopher said as he slowly moved his right hand up and put his right foot tentatively on the next rung.

"Just trying to make it realistic for ya, Chris," Alan said as he sat on the chair.

Christopher finished with his right foot and tried his left. Suddenly, the ladder swayed and Christopher gasped as he lost his balance and the ladder swayed hard right. He fell onto the air mattress and let out a frustrated yell as he slapped his hands on the mattress. Alan got up and looked over the edge.

"You killed me," he said gravely and Christopher laughed in spite of himself.

"I tried, Daddy," he said, sitting up.

"I know you did. You did a great job. Now move your bum and let someone else try," he said, pointing to the queue standing nearby.

Christopher got up and got off the mattress as Alan turned and walked down a flight of stairs at the back of the platform. Meanwhile Chaska was almost near the top and both the Doctor and Dex were watching intently. They gasped when he took a step and the ladder wobbled nearly sending him off it.

"Easy, son, you can do this. Just keep calm and take it one step at a time," the Doctor said when he saw Chaska hesitating.

"Come on, Chas, you can do it," Dex said.

"Yes, save us!" the Doctor said in a high-pitched voice.

Chaska giggled at that and gasped when the ladder swayed again.

"Ooops, better not make him laugh," the Doctor said to Dex.

Slowly Chaska made his way up the wobbly ladder and then to his surprise, he reached the platform and scrambled onto it as his family cheered. The Doctor laughed when Chaska rolled onto his back and gasped as he sprawled his arms out.

"I'm never doing that again," he said as the Doctor sniggered.

"Now, now, Chas, you wanna travel with me, you'll have to learn to handle situations like that all the time," he said as he stood up.

Chaska got up and the Doctor took his hand and squeezed it while Dex patted his back. They went down the stairs and when they went around the side, the man in charge of the game handed Chaska a large red gift bag and offered his congratulations. Alan and Christopher joined them as Chaska looked into it. He pulled out a certificate congratulating him on his achievement, a water bottle, a stuffed gorilla, a couple of novels that were written in an alien language he couldn't decipher and a coupon. He looked at the coupon before handing it to his father.

"Hmm, this says you can have a free steak dinner and your whole family gets one too and the restaurant is nearby. Well, we know where we're gonna eat tonight."

"Here you can have the books and the water bottle," Chaska said, handing the items to him.

The Doctor looked at the book's titles and made a face.

"No thanks, son, I think your mum will like these better," he said to him. "I'm not really interested in reading Passion Beach or Frolic in the Funhouse."

"They gave those to Chas?" Dex said, shocked.

"Um…I'm thinking they're perhaps joint gifts since this is a father/son thing but all the same the bloke could have said something," the Doctor said.

He looked at Alan when he plucked Frolic in the Funhouse from his hand. He opened it to a random page.

"Marza stood in front of the wacky mirror as Ganges stood behind her," he read aloud. "In the mirror, their images were distorted but for the first time Marza saw everything clearly and she knew that Ganges was the only man for her."

"Ugh, stop, Daddy," Christopher said as everyone laughed. "It sounds like a naff book."

"On the contrary, I think this is the best writing since Wuthering Heights. Give this to me, Brother, so I can improve my mind," Alan said to him.

"You want it, take it," the Doctor said.

"Hmmm, perhaps Rose will enjoy it and…"

"To Rose with my compliments," the Doctor said, handing him the other book. "And here," he added, handing him the water bottle, "use this to dump water on unsuspecting people."

"Ooo, thank ya! Much obliged. However, I'll give this to Chris so he can have something," he said, passing it to his son.

His mobile rang and he held up his finger as he fished it out of his pocket. He checked it and grinned.

"Wife?" Alan asked.

"Wife," the Doctor replied as he opened his phone.

"Tell the overprotective thing to leave you alone, this is men's day out," Alan said as he hit the talk button.

"Yes, my overprotective thing?" the Doctor said as Alan giggled.

"Um…I don't know what that's referring to and frankly, I have no time to ask," Rain whispered to him.

"Rain, what's wrong?" the Doctor said, sobering up.

"What's wrong is your princess problem made it to our door or rather one of her aides did. He's downstairs now demanding to see you. That ring had a tracking device in it and since Soki had it in her pocket, they tracked you to our front door and now Nelak is trying to keep him from getting in here. In short, we need you to come back and…"

The Doctor's eyes widened when he heard a distant crash in the background and Soki and Namid's screams.

"Oh God, Gotta go, he's brought troops. Just hurry, Thete, please!" Rain pleaded.

"Rain?" he said as she cut off the connection. "Rain? Rain!"

He looked at his family.

"Holiday's being cut short. We need to go home right now!"


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter Fifty Four

Doc walked towards the front door of the house he shared with the Doctor along with his friend, Hamor. Since coming to live on New Gallifrey, he had met many of the Doctor's friends and became best friends with a few of them. Hamor was his closest friend. A former pupil of the Doctor's at the academy, he was far younger than Doc but he liked the youth's creativity, enthusiasm and spirit. Hamor was about six feet tall with a lean, slightly muscular build. He had long jet black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail that Doc knew would never have passed muster with the Time Lords back on Gallifrey. He also sported a couple of hoop earrings in his left ear and a goatee. His eyes were deep blue and he had a chiseled face that more than once had made women swoon over him. It amused Doc when they went out and women would try to chat him up. Sadly, most never talked to him beyond polite conversation but Doc figured that's because he resembled the Doctor who was not only highly respected but married. It didn't bother him; he wasn't ready for a relationship yet anyway.

One of Hamor's special subjects at the Academy was botany along with art and he used those to become a landscaper for others. Mostly he worked for private homes but occasionally he was commissioned to do large scale things and that's what he was doing now. The City wanted him to do a garden and maze and he enlisted his friend to help him since he wanted to do a Tudor style garden. He knew Doc had better knowledge of the Tudor era than he did so the two of them collaborated and drew up plans for an enormous flower garden with two hedge mazes.

They were coming back from having a drink at the pub, walking along and talking when suddenly Doc noticed several strangers going into his house, several strangers that didn't look like they were there for a pleasant conversation.

"Hamor, see that? Something's wrong," Doc said. "I don't know who those people are but…"

He felt his daughter's fear seconds before he heard her scream. Both he and Hamor broke into a run and burst through the open door. To Doc's horror, Rain, Namid, Sokanon, Awinita and Nelak were on their knees in the middle of a group of guards, their hands on their heads while the guards aimed their blasters at them. Rage tore through Doc's mind.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS? WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE WITH MY FAMILY?" he screamed at them.

Zod stepped forward with a couple of guards.

"You are the Doctor?" he said.

"I am," he said, not seeing Rain's warning look.

He and Namor gasped as the guards thrust their blasters in their faces.

"Doctor, you are under arrest," Zod said.

"On what charge?" Doc demanded.

"On breaking the marriage contract between you and Princess Thelopian. You will come with us and you will be married, by force if necessary, to her Royal Highness and all of these people shall be sold into slavery as part of your punishment.

Doc let out an enraged yell and lunged at him. Everyone gasped when one of the guards punched him hard in the face and punched him again when he reeled back into the other guard's arms. Namor started to fight but Doc urged him to stop before he got hurt. One of the guards surrounding Doc's family came over and used his blaster to herd him over and make him join the others.

"Everyone stand!" Zod barked at the group in the ring of guards. "Guards, take them away! We'll take them back to the ship and if any of you resist, we'll kill you!"

"Mummy," Namid whispered fearfully.

"Hold my hand, baby," Rain said as she took hers and Sokanon's hands before they walked with the others towards the door.

(Twenty minutes later…)

"Rain!" the Doctor said as he burst through the garage door.

He stood stock still as he looked around the room and noticed his front door was hanging wide open. The others came in behind him.

"Mummy? Sissies?" Chaska said fearfully before he broke into a run and ran through the house screaming for them.

_Rain, where are you?_ The Doctor thought to her as he and the others went through the house. _What's happened? _

He could feel his wife's pain and anguish and he mentally reached out to stroke her mind along with the minds of his family.

_Rain, talk to me, what's happened?_ He thought to her.

_Oh God, she finally managed to say. Oh God, you have to come here as soon as you can. You have to save Namid._

The Doctor blanched at that and he could tell by Alan and Dex freezing in place that they had heard it too.

_Why? What's happening to Namid?_ The Doctor forced himself to think.

It took a moment before Rain could reply back.

_They…they arrested Doc when he came through the door. They thought he was you. They have me, the girls, Nelak, Awinita and Namor. They've put us in separate cells and they're going to force Doc to wed the princess and enslave us but…oh God, they were looking us over and noticed Namid was blind and they told us that she was a reject and here…here they…_

She trailed off for a moment.

_They what?_ The Doctor thought.

_They incinerate them, _Rain finally thought.

Alan and Dex grabbed ahold of the Doctor as he staggered back, his face ashen. The Doctor fought with all his being to compose himself and keep himself from panicking.

_How long has it been since you were taken, _he finally thought.

_About a half hour maybe, not long. We're on their ship heading back to their homeworld but they're gonna incinerate Namid now. Oh God, our baby, they're gonna burn her alive!_

The Doctor pulled free of Alan and Doc and with an enraged yell, he ran for his TARDIS as Alan struggled to keep up with him. By the time he reached the console, he could barely see through the tears in his eyes.

"Brother, wait, let me go with you. Don't go in there half cocked," Alan said, running up the ramp.

"I'll make them pay if Namid dies. I swear I will!" the Doctor bellowed. "If they harm one hair on my family's head, they will suffer!"

"Yes, but…"

"No, Alan, no buts," the Doctor said. "Not this time. They're about to burn alive one of the most precious, innocent people in this universe and there'll be no mercy if she dies. I don't care if they beg, plead, fall to their knees and grovel, they will suffer if my daughter dies!"

"Father."

The Doctor looked over and saw Dex enter with Chaska.

"Daddy, will Sissy be alright?" Chaska asked.

The Doctor ran to him and embraced him.

"Yes, because I'm not going to let this happen. I'm going to rescue them."

"Can I help?" Chaska asked.

"No, son, it's too dangerous."

"Can I come if I stay in the TARDIS?" Chaska asked.

The Doctor considered that and nodded.

"Yes, the TARDIS is strong enough to protect you and I don't have time to find someone to babysit for you. I assume you're coming as well, Dex."

"Yes. I want to help you."

"Okay, if you promise to stay in here, Chas, I'll let you come, yeah?"

He nodded and the Doctor gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. While he was doing that, Alan closed the door and quickly powered up the TARDIS. The Doctor ran a scan and breathed a sigh of relief when the TARDIS detected their energy signatures.

"Setting a course for the Frelonian ship and Heaven help them if they do anything to Namid before we get there," he said as the TARDIS dematerialized.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter Fifty Five

"YOU BASTARDS, I'LL MURDER YOU ALL!"

Doc was bellowing, near insane, as he was held to the wall by a force field that pressed him up against it and rendered him immobile. Ever since he heard what they were going to do to his daughter, ever since he saw her ashen face and heard her screams for him, Rain or the Doctor to save her, he had lost all his composure and was now nearly a wild animal. His mind was so filled with rage, he knew he was approaching the line that he once crossed to become the Valeyard but he didn't care. If they succeeded in burning his daughter alive, he would embrace the darkness again and welcome it.

"IF SHE DIES, SO DO YOU!" he howled at the guards who were understandably frightened of this near wild man who was separated from them only by a bluish force field.

The door opened and Zod entered. Doc instantly turned his wild gaze on him.

"LET MY DAUGHTER GO! YOU SON OF A BITCH, SHE'S NOT A PIECE OF WOOD. SHE'S A LIVING BEING AND I SWEAR BY ALL HEAVEN, IF SHE DIES…"

He gasped when Zod aimed a shock stick at him and shot several bolts of electricity that went coursing through his body. He screamed in agony and Zod smirked as he fell quiet for a moment.

"That's better, you're making too much of a ruckus."

The guards flinched when Doc opened his eyes and they were nearly impenetrable coal black. The look of pure hate made their blood run cold and they inched towards the safety of the door.

"Let me see my daughter," Doc growled at Zod. "Give her to me."

"She's being prepared for incineration."

"You can't do that! She's blind, that's all."

"Blindness is a defect. We do not tolerate defects," Zod said dispassionately.

"Not having a heart is a defect too yet no one's burned you alive," Doc snarled at him. "You don't know Namid. Namid is a beautiful, innocent girl and if she dies, I guarantee my sanity will die with her and you'll have one angry, out of control nutter on your hands! Now let me go!"

He cried out when Zod shot more electricity at him. He raised his head and gazed at his captors with pleading tear-filled eyes.

"Please, I'll do anything you ask. I'll marry this princess, just let Namid and the others go," he said, his voice quavering.

"When the ship lands, we will bargain for the other's lives."

"Including Namid," Doc said desperately. "Spare Namid until then please!"

"Why do you want her? She can't see you."

"No, you're wrong. She can see me and do far more than that," Doc said. "She is one of the most wonderful beings in the whole of creation and burning her would be a crime against nature. Please spare her life until I can talk to the princess, I beg you!"

"No, we proceed as planned. Defects are not allowed on Mackus."

"Then your princess will be marrying the darkest, most dangerous being known to man," Doc said. "Because the moment, my daughter's mind leaves my own, it will snap and heaven help you all when it does."

Zod snorted at that and Doc screamed curses as he turned and left the room. He noticed that the guards followed him and quickly left the room only to stand guard outside. Doc calmed himself; he could sense his family's anguish at his emotional outbursts especially Namid who was beyond hysterical and he realize he was making things worse. He calmed himself, forced himself to see reason so he could help his daughter calm down. He took deep breaths and when he was calm; he reached out to his daughter and stroked her mind.

_Ya'nala, I will find a way to rescue you, I swear that,_ he told her even though at the moment he had no way to break the force field.

_Dada, help me, they're hurting me. They're hitting me and tying me up, help me!_

His family's anguish increased upon hearing that and he tried futilely to break free of the force field before he reached out to the Doctor.

_Doctor, please help us. Namid…_

_I hear you, Brother. I hear you all. Namid, my love, we're coming. Me and Dex and Uncle Alan. We're coming so be brave for us. _

_Daddy, they're hurting me._

_I know, baby, I can feel it. I'm nearly there. I'm coming, Rainbow, I'm coming. Stay calm like a good Time Lady, yeah?_

_I'll try, Dada._

_Everyone talk to her and keep her calm. I'm coming, _the Doctor thought to the others.

Doc breathed a sigh of relief as he listened to everyone talking to Namid, sending love into her mind and telling her how much they loved her and how she would be safe in a moment. Listening to her and feeling her fear, half of him wished that the ship would have been bio-dampened since it was agony listening to her and not being able to move or help. He took comfort in the fact that the Doctor, Alan and Dex were free and coming to her aid but just the same, he wanted to help save his only daughter from a fiery death.

The Doctor let out a sigh of relief when the TARDIS finally powered down.

"Chas, in the other room, just in case," he said to his son.

Chaska ran to the back room.

"TARDIS, shield him in case they start shooting at us," the Doctor said. "Protect him with your life."

_I will, Beloved, rescue poor Namid,_ she thought to him.

"I won't lose her, that's a dead cert," he said through clenched teeth.

He, Alan and Dex positioned themselves at the front door. The Doctor opened it a crack and noticed they were in a storage closet. He relaxed a bit but kept his guard up as he and the others stepped outside and shut the door.

_Namid, baby, we're coming. Hold on,_ the Doctor thought to her.

_Daddy!_ She shrieked in his mind. _They're punching me and tying me up, help!_

The Doctor's hearts nearly stopped. He turned around and ran back into the TARDIS.

TARDIS, run a quick scan on her signature, he yelled as the others ran back in behind him and shut the doors. Search for her mind and then take us to the room she's in, there's no time for us to navigate corridors.

_Hold on, my precious,_ the Doctor thought as Namid screamed in his mind. _I'm coming, baby, I won't let you die. _

_Daddy, they're putting me on something and I can hear the fire! I don't wanna die, Daddy!_

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief when the TARDIS powered up and quickly moved them to Namid's location. He, Alan and Dex ran to the front door as Chaska ducked further out of sight. They tensed up.

"Let loose, hold nothing back. Namid's counting on us. I don't care what you have to do, get her away from that fire!" he said to his brother and son.

They nodded and when the TARDIS powered down, they heard someone yelling in shock. The three men let out enraged screams, flung open the door and darted out. They were in an incinerator room. The room was made of iron and filthy with ash and dirt. A long conveyor belt was set up in front of a furnace and garbage was being fed into a roaring fire. On it amid the garbage was Namid, bound and screaming.

Alan and Dex took on the man loading the garbage while the Doctor made a beeline for Namid. She was just inches from being loaded headfirst into the fire and he flung himself onto the belt, landing on top of her and snatching her away right at the furnace opening. He and Namid rolled onto the floor and the Doctor clutched her to him, heading for the safety of the TARDIS while Alan and Dex subdued the man and punched him out. They took him into the TARDIS to prevent anyone finding him or him waking up and raising an alarm. So far they had gone undiscovered but they still had to find the others. For the moment, Namid was safe and both Alan and Dex were relieved. When they entered the TARDIS, they stopped in their tracks when they saw the Doctor. He had cut through Namid's bonds and was kneeling on the floor, Namid clutching his neck while he pressed her against him. Both of them were hysterically crying as the Doctor rocked his daughter back and forth. Dex and Alan pulled the man up the ramp, laid him on the floor and the TARDIS put a force bubble around him, imprisoning him while both men went to the Doctor's side. The Doctor by this time was trying to calm them both down, murmuring in English and Gallifreyan his love for her and that she was safe now. Alan knelt down on the other side of Namid. She was filthy from the trash but he didn't care. He kissed the back of her head while Dex knelt down beside her. The three men managed to calm her down but Namid refused to let go of her father. Alan glanced over and saw Chaska peeking into the room, his face frozen in fear. He beckoned to him and Chaska came over, fell to his knees and kissed his sister while the Doctor gazed at him with love.

"Sissy, I'm glad you're okay," Chaska said.

"Don't leave me, Daddy," Namid whimpered.

"Baby, I have to leave for a bit."

"No! Don't let them get me!"

Alan and Dex came closer to her as the Doctor held her tighter.

"I won't let anyone hurt you. You're safe now. You're on the TARDIS and there's no way they're getting in here. But I have to get your mum and sister and everyone else. So, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna put you to sleep so you can rest, okay?"

"Will you come back, Daddy?"

"Course, love."

"Mi-mi, do you want me to stay with you while you sleep?" Alan said.

Namid nodded.

"Let me stay here, Brother. I can look after her and Chas and keep them calm."

"Do you want to be awake or go to sleep while we're gone?" the Doctor asked Namid.

"If…if Uncle Alan's here, I wanna be awake."

"We'll get you a bath and I'll get you something to eat, yeah?" Alan said, gently rubbing her back. "Sound good?"

Namid nodded and the Doctor gave him a grateful look.

"Then you'll have to let go of me, Mi-mi so I can go get the others, okay?"

She nodded and the Doctor kissed her cheek as she slowly let go and transferred her arms to Alan's neck. Alan picked her up and supported her with one arm as he took Chaska's hand.

"Thank you, Daddy, for saving me," Namid said.

The Doctor held back the tears and kissed her cheek.

"We'll do something fun to make up for this, okay?" he said as she nodded.

They watched as Alan took them into the back. Once they were gone, the Doctor and Dex walked over to the console.

"Once this is over and done with. I'm laying Namid down and I'm taking all the memories of this event out of her head for good," he said to Dex who nodded. "I can tell she's already incredibly traumatized and the last thing I want is for her to wake up screaming for the rest of her life after having constant nightmares of burning alive. I was generous with my assistance to these people before but by doing this, all of them have made themselves my enemies and they're about to find out what happens when you muck with the Oncoming Storm."

He and Dex stood side by side and waited while the TARDIS found more of his family and moved towards them.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter Fifty Six

The morning sunlight brightened the room while Koschei sighed and gently rolled onto his side. His hair had been slowly changing back to its normal brown color but it still had a blonde look to it and was longer than it was from the time he first came to the Doctor's universe. Living in a tiny cell for centuries as the prisoner of the Rani, he wasn't used to sleeping on a large bed as he gently kicked his legs side to side and wiggled the duvet up under his chin.

"Cheepa, Baba, cheepa," came from the baby monitor as he opened his eyes and smiled, rolling onto his back. Looking over at the lights moving on the baby monitor, he sighed then moved the duvet back and got out of bed. Shuffling across the floor, he opened the door then walked down the small hallway and stopped at the rows of picture frames. The hologram photos of him, his wife, Julie, and their daughter, Aderyn, made him smile and the picture frames were hung on the wall in the shape of a triangle. Aderyn was ten months old and could say a few words in English, Gallifreyan and Amos. The Doctor has taught them how to speak Amos and Aderyn now had white feathers with just a tinge of blue on the tips. "Cheepa, Baba, cheepa!"

"Coming," Koschei said when he walked down the hallway to her room and opened the door. The room looked like a forest due to the holograms on the walls and the carved branches rising from the floor to the ceiling. A changing table was to the right of the room with a nappy pail next to it and small wardrobe was to the left of the room. Under the window at the back of the room were a rocking chair and a small bookcase and the baby monitor sat on the top of the dresser next to the wardrobe. At the center of the room was a small nest made of twigs, feathers and mud and Aderyn was sitting in the middle of the nest. She was wearing a backless pink nightgown with a pink bunny on the front and her small wings were folded against her back. He remembered how she cried for hours while they were growing in and the Doctor had given them a cream to rub on her back to ease her pain.

"Cheepa, Baba!" Aderyn said as he walked closer and picked her up, rubbing the tip of his nose against her beak.

"Good morning, Genji," Koschei said as she giggled and he placed her on his right side, walking to the changing table. Genji meant daughter in Amos and he sat Aderyn on the changing table then looked down at the shelf, looking for the baby wipes.

"Ah, there you are," Julie said as she came into the room and stood next to him while he changed Aderyn's nappy, placing it in the nappy pail.

"Sorry if I woke you up," he said as he gave Julie a quick kiss on the lips and Aderyn blinked her grayish blue eyes at them.

"Oh, that's ok," Julie said as she watched Koschei picked Aderyn up and gently stroked the feathers on the top of her head. "Good morning, Genji."

"Mooma," Aderyn said as she reached out for her and Koschei handed her to Julie. Aderyn made soft cooing sounds as Julie hugged her and Koschei smiled at them. After losing his family when his Gallifrey was destroyed, he never thought he could find someone to love again but Julie had made it so easy and being able to adopt Aderyn was an added bonus.

"You ok, Love?" Julie asked as he blinked then blushed, feeling embarrassed.

"Yeah, just thinking about how lucky I am," he said as she smiled and kissed his lips.

"Mooma and Baba kiss-kiss," Aderyn said then giggled and Koschei gave her a slightly stunned look.

"Mommy and Daddy can kiss-kiss if they want to, Little Peep," he said as she pouted and shook, giving him a sad eyed look. "Oh, don't look at me like that!"

"I suggest you give her some snuggles then," Julie said as he took Aderyn from her and hugged Aderyn, sending love into her mind.

"Baba silly!" Aderyn said as he smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"So, what do you want to do today?" he asked Julie while she walked to the changing table with the things she had picked out for Aderyn to wear and placed the clothes, undershirt and socks on the changing table.

"Well, seeing that it's a nice day out, I was wondering if we could go on a picnic," Julie said as Koschei sat Aderyn on the changing table, placed the backless undershirt on Aderyn and snapped the snaps closed. Wiggling, Aderyn unfolded her wings as they flapped up and down and Koschei smiled, rubbing her beak with the tip of his nose.

"Nic-nic!" Aderyn said as she lightly bounced up and down and waved her arms in the air.

"Sounds to me like someone wants to go on a picnic," Koschei said as he lifted Aderyn's arms up and placed the blue, backless t-shirt over her head. She wiggled on the changing table as he gently placed her arms into the sleeves and snapped the snaps.

"Then we better go to get some food then," Julie said as he nodded and finished dressing Aderyn.

The doors slid open while Koschei pushed the trolley and Aderyn sat in the child's seat. Julie had placed the seat cover over the child's seat as Aderyn held onto the handle bar and looked around. The people of Gallifrey City were used to seeing Aderyn in her Amos form so she didn't have to wear an imager and they had been stopped a number of times as women gush over how cute she was.

"Right, we need some fresh veggies for a salad," Julie said as she looked at the list and Aderyn sucked on the dummy the Doctor had made for her. Rose had explained to Koschei that a dummy was a baby pacifier and Aderyn's favorite dummy was her Stitch one. Nodding, Koschei pushed the trolley as they went into the fruit and vegetable section and Julie placed the fresh vegetables in the trolley basket.

"Want to get some bananas?" Koschei asked as he held up a bunch of bananas and she smiled.

"Only if we were taking the Doctor or Alan with us," Julie teased.

"Nana!" Aderyn said as she bounced in the seat and Koschei looked at Julie with a "Well, are we getting them or not?" look on his face. Sighing, Julie placed the bananas in the trolley basket and they went down the aisle.

Koschei made faces at Aderyn while they waited in the queue at the meat counter and Julie smiled at them. She never knew that in all her time as a Time Lady that she would find a man as wonderful as Koschei nor be a mother but she never regretted one say with them and smiled. The queue moved until they came to the counter and Julie looked at the selection of ham and roast beef. She wanted some for sandwiches as she tried to decide when Aderyn's eyes went wide and she screamed.

"What's wrong?" Julie shouted as Koschei looked at what Aderyn was looking at and his hearts froze in his chest. Hanging upside down on hooks were pre-plucked chickens, ducks and geese and their dead eyes looked right at him.

"Bugger," he said when he picked Aderyn out of the trolley and walked away, hushing her and sent love into her mind. Julie looked at the man with balding blonde hair standing behind the counter and he gulped, seeing the anger in her eyes.

"I am so sorry," he said softly as Julie walked away and went to find Koschei. She found him near the seafood counter as he showed Aderyn the large lobsters in the tank and she cheeped softly, blinking her eyes.

"Is she ok?" Julie asked as Koschei turned to her and nodded. "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

"No, go get the trolley and we'll go to the pre-made food counter and get the sandwiches," he said as she nodded and went to get the trolley.

The sunlight shimmered off the leaves while Julie carried Aderyn and Koschei carried the picnic basket. They headed for a quiet spot in Tennant Park and a few of the people walking by waved at Aderyn. She would shyly turn her face into Julie's neck and Julie smiled, kissing Aderyn's fingers.

"Well, hello," Jenna said while she and Jamie walked closer and Jamie's dog, Wee Jock, walked beside Jamie.

"An' where are you three going?" Jamie asked as Wee Jock sat next to his leg and Aderyn looked down at Wee Jock.

"Baba, wooga," she said as she pointed to Wee Jock and Jamie tilted his head to one side.

"What did she say?" he asked.

"Wooga means dog in Amos," Julie said as she knelt down and Aderyn looked at Wee Jock.

"She is getting so big!" Jenna said and Koschei nodded.

"Seems like only yesterday that she was a tiny baby," he sighed and Jamie smiled.

"Aye, they grow up so fast," he said as Wee Jock walked over to Julie and sniffed Aderyn's hand. Anderyn made little whimpering sounds as Wee Jock titled its head side to side and its tail wagged back and forth.

"Nice wooga," Julie said as she helped Aderyn patted Wee Jock's head and Wee Jock panted. Chirping, Aderyn placed her head on top of Wee Jock's head and patted him.

"I think someone's made a friend," Jamie said as Julie nodded then stood up. "Well, we better let you get on with your fun."

"Yeah," Julie said when Jamie whistled and Wee Jock ran to catch up with him. Shrugging, she took Koschei's hand and they walked down the path. After a few minutes they found a spot as Koschei placed the picnic basket down and Julie handed Aderyn to him. Julie unfolded the blanket that was on top of the basket while Koschei spun Aderyn in the air and she held her arms out. "Oi, stop that or she'll get sick."

"Ah, she likes it!" Koschei said then scooped Aderyn into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"Fly, Baba, Fly!" she said and he looked at Julie. Both of them knew that the Rani had given him electrical powers, which he could fire out of his fingers, but she had also given him the ability to jump straight up into the air and he had been spending time with the Doctor and Cameron, learning how to come down after he flew into the air. Cameron was also using his telekinetic powers to help Aderyn learn how to fly and the Doctor teased them about how soon it will be before they'd be chasing after her when she decides to fly off on her own.

"After we eat, Little Peep," he said as Aderyn nodded and Julie smiled at them. Koschei helped Julie set up the food, cups, plates, forks and knives while Aderyn sat on the blanket and looked at the grass. She saw something moving in the grass when she blinked and crawled to the edge of the blanket. Koschei watched her when she seemed to fall face first onto the grass and he gasped. "Are you alright, Sweetie?"

Koschei picked her up when he saw the worm squirming in her beak and he felt his stomach churning. With a snap of her head, Aderyn swallowed the worm and giggled.

"Oh well," he sighed as he wiped her beak with his hand and Julie glared at him. "What, did you think I was going to take it away from her?"

"Yeah, I did," Julie said with a smile and shook her head.

"Worm good, Baba," Aderyn said, looking up at him and they laughed while she blinked her eyes, looking confused.

"What do you mean you can't find her?" Julie said as she placed the plates into the basket and Koschei sighed. He and Anderyn had taken a nap after they ate and Julie had been reading the book she had brought with her.

"She was here when I fell asleep," Koschei said when Julie felt the fear in his mind and crawled to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Mooma," Aderyn's voice called out and they looked up, seeing her sitting on one of the branches.

"How did she get up there?" Koschei asked, standing up.

"Fly," Aderyn said as her wings flapped and she giggled.

"Well, you fly right back down here, Young Bird," he said as she shook her head and he folded his arms over his chest, giving her a stern look. Suddenly Aderyn started rising into the air as she cheeped and squeaked and Koschei held his arms out as she sailed down to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he hushed her as she sobbed and Julie tapped him, causing him to turn to her. Pointing, she smiled as Cameron walked out from behind the tree and leaned against it.

"An Amos in the hand is worth two in the tree, eh, Brother?" he teased and Koschei laughed. Cameron walked to him when he went to pat the top of Aderyn's head but jumped when she snapped at him. "Oi, don't snap your beak at me!"

"Unca Cam-Cam bad," she said then placed her head against Koschei's chest, pouting.

"Well, listen to Baba the next time he says to come down so I don't have to do that, ok?" he asked as she nodded and he walked away. Julie placed the blanket on top of the basket as she picked it up and Aderyn looked up at Koschei. Giving him a sad look, she started chirping as he felt his hearts melting and Koschei kissed the top of her head. Taking Julie's hand, they headed down the path and Julie placed her head on his shoulder.

The night was quiet when Julie woke up and reached her hand across the mattress. Koschei wasn't in bed as she sat up and turned the light on. Moving the duvet back, she got up then went to check the bathroom but he wasn't there and she pouted. Walking down the hallway, she looked inside Aderyn's room and smiled. Softly walking toward the rocking chair, she looked at Aderyn sleeping against Koschei and Koschei's head was bent to the right. He was asleep as Julie looked at the duvet on the back of the rocking chair and slowly moved it out from behind him. He moved but didn't wake up as she covered them with the duvet then kissed the top of his head and he smiled. Sighing, she walked to the door when she turned and looked at them. She walked down the hallway while Koschei opened one eye, looked down at Aderyn then kissed the top of her head, closed his eyes and went back to sleep.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter Fifty Seven

Alan took Chaska to the living room while the TARDIS flew up to the cell block where the others were being held. After assuring him, he'd be back, he took Namid to the bathroom.

"Now!" he said. "You're going to get so squeaky clean that I'll be able to hear the squeak when I run my finger down you."

His hearts warmed when he heard Namid giggle at that. At the same time, he heard Rose calling him telepathically.

_What's going on, Alan, there was all this turmoil in everyone's mind and it's calmed down a bit now. Chris ran back home and told me Rain and the others were kidnapped and they…they were gonna burn Namid alive? They're really gonna burn her alive? Is she okay?_

_You did and she is, _he thought back. _Listen, I'll get back to you and explain everything. I have Namid with me and I'm taking her to the bathroom so she can get a nice, hot bath. Just wait on me and I'll fill you in on the details._

Rose told him she'd wait and her mind moved away from his as Alan opened the door to the bathroom and turned on the light.

"Uncle Alan?"

"Hmmm?" he said as he lowered her to the floor and took her by the hand.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Yes, indeedy," he said as he turned on the water for her.

"I like that you make me laugh and you always cheer me up and I love you so much."

Alan's eyes misted as he hugged her.

"I want you to be happy, Mi-mi," he said as he hugged her tightly. "You need to grow up surrounded by happiness and love and warmth and if I could I'd put a warm cocoon around you so you'd always feel safe."

"You know what?" Namid said, whispering in his ear.

"What?" Alan whispered back.

"I'm glad I was born into this family," she whispered.

Alan hugged her tightly.

"I'm glad you were too," he whispered. "Now ease up on the iron grip because I can't breathe, that's why I have to whisper."

Namid giggled and Alan smiled when she kissed his cheek.

"Silly Uncle Alan," she whispered. "I love you."

"I love you tons and tons and tons," he whispered back. "Now get in the bath and get scrubbin'."

"Okay," she whispered.

"Uncle Alan?"

Alan looked over at Chaska who was standing in the doorway.

"Can we have some pizza?" he said. "We didn't get to eat today."

"That's right, we didn't. What you say, Meemster? Feel like pizza pie in your eye?"

"Yes!"

"Okey-dokey, one fantabulous pizza is waiting for you as soon as you get scrubby clean. Now, I'm gonna let go and let you get undressed. Everything is here for you so get clean as a whistle or I'll poke ya with a thistle."

Namid giggled again and gave him another kiss.

"Uncle Alan," she said as she let go.

"A-yeeeeeeees-ah?"

"You have gifts. You and Daddy and Chaska have gifts. Uncle Nelak and Aunt Awinita got them for ya."

"We do?" Alan said.

"Cool," Chaska said.

"Yeah, they're back at the house. I hope the bad people didn't break em."

"They do and I break them. How dare they break my gift? I'll show them what happens when they break special family gifts!"

He kissed Namid's cheek and shooed Chaska out so she could get undressed.

"Keep watch on her, TARDIS," Alan said to the ceiling before he and Chaska headed towards the kitchen. "If she gets upset, let me know."

_I will, Beloved. _

Alan left with Chaska. The TARDIS waited till he was gone and projected her holographic image into the bathroom. She smiled lovingly at Namid who was getting undressed while the water ran.

"Namid," she said.

"Huh? TARDIS?"

"Yes, my beloved Namid, I'm here with you in my holographic form. I'm so glad you were rescued, the TARDIS wouldn't be the same without you. Your father loves you very much and it would have broke his hearts if you'd died."

"I was scared, TARDIS," she said as the TARDIS turned off the water and she got in the tub. "I tried to be brave like Daddy would be but I was so scared."

"I know, beloved, and I see that they hurt you. You have some bruises on your face."

"Yeah, my face really hurts," Namid said to her as she felt for the soap and washcloth. "I hate the people that did this. It's so stupid. Daddy married Mummy and he doesn't have to marry this other woman. She's so mean for letting people hurt us."

"I agree. But I've traveled with your father long enough to know that some people are that way, Namid. Some people love to hurt others and are selfish enough to force others to do what they want."

"You musta seen a lot of bad things bein' with Daddy," Namid said to her as she washed.

"I did and some things I saw broke my heart but I always had your daddy and he had me and now we have you and the others. Even though I wasn't the one that actually rescued you, I'm glad I found out where you were and took your daddy and Alan and Dex to you so you could be safe."

"Thank you, TARDIS, I love you."

"And I love you, beloved. I'm always watching over you and any time you need me, I'll be here. Now…if you'll excuse me, I have to watch your Uncle before he makes a mess of my kitchen."

Namid giggled. The TARDIS smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead, even though she couldn't truly feel it. Then with a loving gaze, she faded away.

(Meanwhile…)

The Doctor and Dex knocked out another guard and as he fell to the floor with the others, the pair raced to the first closed metal door. The Doctor used his screwdriver to unlock it, mindful that the commotion would bring other guards soon, while Dex kept watch. The door opened and the Doctor let out a joyful cry when he saw Sokanon lying on the floor.

"Daddy!" she said.

The Doctor winced. Someone had worked Sokanon over and she had a black eye, bruise on her left cheek and a split lip. Guilt flooded his mind as he ran to her, fell to his knees and held her tightly. He picked her up and mentally told Alan to come to the front door of the TARDIS as he ran to it. He unlocked it as Dex covered him and opened the door.

"Soki, stay in here. Alan is here with Chaska and Namid."

"You found her?" Sokanon said excitedly.

"Yes. She's fine but Alan will take care of you until we sort this out, yeah?" the Doctor said just as Alan came through the back door and ran to his niece.

Sokanon nodded and embraced Alan as the Doctor closed the door. Just then, they heard more guards yelling as they ran towards them. The Doctor jerked his head towards a door diagonally from them.

"Doctor!" Nelak yelled. "If that's you, open my door. I can help!"

The Doctor ran to it, used the screwdriver and opened his door. He winced when he saw his brother in law had also been worked over. Nelak nodded at the look on his face.

"Yeah, had a rough time, but no time for pity parties. Free the others and I'll help Dex," he said.

He and Dex turned their attention towards three guards while the Doctor yelled out for the others to yell so he could find them. He freed Awinita who also had bruises and a black eye but she immediately joined the fight. Then he was shocked when he opened the next door.

"Namor?" he said.

"Yeah, Doc and I came home right when your family was being kidnapped and I got pulled into it."

"Sorry, mate," the Doctor said as he stared at his bruised face.

"Eh, it's alright. I'm just glad you freed me. Rain and Doc aren't here though. They took them someplace else on the ship. Is Namid okay?"

"Yeah, she and Sokanon are inside the TARDIS."

"Good. I'll help the others then. Thanks, old teacher."

The Doctor clapped him on the shoulder and Namor rushed to help his friends as the Doctor ran to the TARDIS. He quickly opened and shut the door before any of the guards could get in.

"TARDIS, I need you to locate Rain and Doc for me," he said to his ship.

The TARDIS quickly scanned and found two artron signatures in two separate parts of the ship. The Doctor cursed at that but he quickly ran to the front door and opened it.

"Mates, come on, we have two other places to go," he said to Namor and his family who had just finished dispatching the guards.

They all ran inside and the Doctor ordered the TARDIS to take them to the one closest to them first. The TARDIS powered up while the Doctor handed Nelak his tissue rejuvenator. The former captives used it just enough to clear up black eyes and get rid of a few of the bruises since they didn't have much time before the TARDIS landed again. Then they handed the rejuvenator back to the Doctor and ran with him to the door. They heard the sounds of guards outside banging on the door, demanding to be let in. The Doctor got in front of them, unlocked the door and leaned against it. He counted to three and then he suddenly jerked the door open, smacking it into the guards. The others rushed out to take care of them as the Doctor closed the door and ran to help whoever the TARDIS had landed next to. He looked in the room near the TARDIS and saw Doc pressed against the wall.

"Doc!" he said, going inside.

"Namid," Doc said frantically. "Is she?"

"She's fine. I rescued her and she's inside the TARDIS."

"Thank heavens. I was going insane with worry and rage trying to get free."

The Doctor nodded and used the screwdriver on the force field. It vanished and Doc sighed as he finally moved away from the wall. After thanking the Doctor, they went to the door intending to help but the others had already taken care of the two guards. They ran back into the TARDIS and Doc ran back to see Namid while the Doctor checked the scanner for Rain's artron energy signature. He froze and he began to repeat "No," over and over when he noticed the signature was rapidly moving away from them.

"What's wrong?" Awinita asked.

"I think they took Rain and put her in an escape pod or ship because she's going away from the ship at a fast rate."

"Can we follow them?" Namor asked.

"Oh yes, I'm not about to lose Rain. TARDIS, lock onto that ship and follow it, we're gonna get Rain back!"


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter Fifty Eight

Rain lay bound in the back of a space skimmer heading for Mackus. Besides her, Zod and two guards were inside. The two guards were acting as pilot and co-pilot while Zod guarded her. She had been under interrogation by Zod, mostly because Zod seemed to think she was some sort of temptress who had lured the Doctor away from the princess when she'd never even heard of her before. He had a couple of the guards rough her up and her body ached from the assault but she took comfort in the fact that her little girl was safe and her husband, brother and son had been able to reach her in time. She heard her husband speaking to her asking if she was okay. She told him she was for the most part and he assured her that he was tracking the ship and he'd save her. Secure in the knowledge that her husband was following the ship, she relaxed and looked forward to the moment when all of them would hand this princess's ass on a platter.

She calmly regarded Zod as he came into the empty room where she'd been dumped. He glared at her but she kept calm and smiled sweetly at him.

"Something wrong?" she said.

"He's following us, how is that possible?" Zod said.

"Who's following you?"

"Don't play games with me, harlot! You know who I'm talking about."

Rain smirked.

"Ah yes, my husband. Well, see, he's very clever and he's very persistent and he doesn't like it when people take me. Makes him angry and then he has to take that anger out on someone, preferably the people who kidnapped me which means you have a very pissed off Time Lord tailing you. Sucks to be you! Ah, ah!" she said, when Zod raised his hand to backhand her. "Wouldn't do that either. See, my husband also doesn't like it when people give me bruises, that also makes him see red."

"You think he's gonna save you?"

"Oh, I know he is because…"

"You are going to be put to death for treason!" Zod said, interrupting her.

"For what? For marrying someone who apparently forgot all about this so-called engagement because it happened centuries ago? Sorry, I had no idea he was already betrothed because he failed to bring it up and he's the one who asked me so I don't know where you're getting this whole temptress thing from. I was a shy, insecure girl when he proposed not some slobbering whore who was ready to jump his bones the moment he asked me to be his wife."

"What do you mean centuries ago? It was only three years ago."

"Not by my husband's watch. He's a Time Lord, remember? And she waited three years to come find him? Must not want him that badly then, I woulda started looking immediately."

Zod raised his hand to backhand her again when suddenly the pilot turned on the intercom.

"Sir, the Doctor wants to speak to you on the monitor, should I patch him through?"

Zod froze while Rain gave him a smug grin. He lowered his hand.

"Yes, patch it through into here," he called out.

A portion of the wall across from Rain was lowered and her hearts beat faster when the screen flickered and she saw her husband, her very pissed off husband. His eyes immediately met hers and she could see he was staring right at her wounds and she swore she could visibly feel his anger increasing right through the monitor.

"Rain, are you alright?"

"Yes, apart from the bruises you see, I'm fine," she said.

He finally looked at her captor.

"I take it you're Zod," he said coolly.

"You know who I am, Time Lord," Zod replied.

"Uh…no, in fact I don't," the Doctor retorted while Rain smirked. "You see, you got the wrong man. I wasn't home at the time you broke in and kidnapped my family. I got home ten minutes after the fact."

Zod's eyes bulged out of his head when an identical looking Doctor stepped into view.

"This…is my brother. He was coming home with his friend when you nabbed him, not me!"

"What? There are two of you?"

Alan stepped into view and waved at him as Rain fought to keep from laughing.

"Three of you?" Zod said in disbelief.

"More actually, I'm one of six identical brothers. I'm the one that was supposedly engaged to your princess, not this one here! I'm the one you'll be dealing with from here on out and you better cooperate because I could go to the Shadow Proclamation right now on kidnapping, assault and attempted murder of my daughter!"

"Wait, he said that girl was his daughter."

"She is, I adopted her as my own and I co-parent her with him and Rain," Doc said.

"Luckily I rescued her before she burned alive because you would have been the next one chucked into the furnace," the Doctor said as all three men gave him a look of death. "Now. You are going to let me onto your ship and you're going to take me to the princess and if you refuse, I'm going to board anyway and I and my family and friend who unfortunately got caught up in this mess will knock you all unconscious and we'll pilot the ship ourselves. Your choice and you have two minutes to give me your answer before I'm coming on board without an invitation."

"You have no right…"

"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT!"

Rain flinched when her husband bellowed and even Alan and Doc backed up a couple of steps. She looked at Zod and noticed he was trembling at his unbridled rage. She glanced back and saw her husband had calmed himself but not by much.

"Your answer," he said, reining in his temper. "Do I board with your permission or without it?"

"You might as well let him board," Rain said. "You're dead either way, trust me."

"Spot on, my wife," the Doctor said as Rain chuckled softly.

Zod's shoulders sagged.

"Pilot, lower the shields and allow the Doctor to board us," he yelled.

"Wise decision. For that, I won't kill you straight away," the Doctor said. "Alan, kindly bring us on board their skimmer."

"Righty-O," Rain heard Alan say.

The Doctor turned his gaze back to Zod.

"You do know that you and your people are guilty of several crimes and you will be brought to justice. I don't take lightly someone coming in, kidnapping my seven year old daughter and trying to burn her alive along with beating up and intimidating my family and friend and trying to sell them into slavery. There will be repercussions from this so your kingdom better have some damn good diplomats or you'll all end up at Volag Nok!"

Zod shivered at that and he glanced at Rain who was giving him a smug smile. He longed to slap it off her face but her husband was staring right at him, so he forced himself to resist.

Rain breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the familiar wheezing sound and the TARDIS materialized around her. When it ended, she was lying on the grate in the console room.

"See, told ya I'd land right on top of her, am I good or what? Cha-ching!" Alan said, pumping his fist.

The Doctor ran over to her.

"Latara, are you alright?"

"Yes, are the children…"

"MUMMY!"

"I think that answers your question," the Doctor said as the triplets ran into the room.

The Doctor allowed them to hug Rain as she kissed them and kissed Namid's cheeks, her eyes filling with tears at seeing her daughter. Then he made them step back while he burned through the ropes with his screwdriver. He glanced at the door and scoffed when he heard Zod and the guards yelling at them to open up while they banged on the door.

"If I were you lot, I wouldn't be so eager for me to come out," the Doctor muttered as he finished untying his wife.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she could move her arms again and rubbed them as the Doctor helped her up.

"Go ahead and go back to the living room and relax, have some pizza," the Doctor said to her. "I gave Doc my rejuvenator and he mended the kids and he'll mend you as well. I have unfinished business to take care of."

The Doctor hugged her tightly and kissed her lips. He eyed the kids when they all said, "Eww," in unison.

"You lot go, eat your pizza or I'll kiss her again," he said to them.

They left and Rain turned to go but the Doctor caught her arm.

"I've already told this lot this, but once this is through, I'm taking the memories of this whole thing out of the children's heads so they won't remember it anymore."

"Good! Please do, especially Namid. I don't want her to ever remember someone tried to burn her alive," Rain said.

"Brother."

The Doctor looked at Doc.

"Can you do the same for me? I'm still mending from being the Valeyard and I nearly lost it listening to Namid screaming and feeling her anguish and I really don't want that memory either since I'm trying to get over as much rage as I can. So if you don't mind…"

"Of course, Brother, I don't want you to suffer, I'll be happy to do that. The rest of us who opt not to do this though, we can't speak of it any longer."

"Fine with me," Nelak said. "I'd rather not bring it up again."

The Doctor sighed angrily when the pounding and yelling continued.

"IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, YOU'LL STOP THE POUNDING!" he bellowed at the door.

Alan and Doc chuckled when the pounding and yelling ceased. The Doctor shook his head.

"Anyway, business calls. After we sort this out, I'm gonna find somewhere to take all of us so the kids can relax. Heaven knows I need it as well. But in order to get to that point…Doc, can you take Rain back to the living room. I have a wanker's ass that needs my foot up it."

"Have fun," Doc said as Rain walked to him.

The Doctor stood up.

"Showtime," he said.

"One ass whoopin' coming right up?" Alan said.

He smiled at him.

"Exactly. Hold down the fort in the meantime."

"Fort secure, fearless leader," Alan said with a salute.

He, Nelak, Awinita and Namor stood around the console and watched as the Doctor cracked his knuckles and moved down the ramp. He unlocked the door and dramatically threw it open.

"Now, I believe we have business to attend to," the Doctor said to Zod and the guards.


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter Fifty Nine

(A few minutes before the Doctor rescued Rain.)

"Those bastards," Adam shouted as he stormed into the house and slammed the door behind him. He had felt Namid's pain and panic and his hearts slammed inside his chest. He knew what it was like to have a daughter taken against her will and the terror she was going through from nearly being burned to death. He slumped down on the couch as he closed his eyes and placed his hands on his stomach.

"_Uncle Adam?" _Namid thought as he smiled and brought her mind forward.

"_Hey, Princess, are you ok?" _he thought.

"_Yeah, I'm taking a bath now while Uncle Alan and Dex are helping Daddy save Mommy. But why are you upset?"_

"_I wanted you come help rescue you but your daddy wants us to stay here in case they try to take someone else."_

"_I don't like it when you get mad."_

"_Yeah, I'm not nice when I get mad."_

"_Mommy says that same thing about Daddy."_

"_So, Squeaky Clean Jelly Bean, do you want me to tell you a story?"_

"_Yeah, I like your stories!" _Namid thought when he set up a privacy block and a study appeared in her mind. Classic music started playing and she looked at the large high back chair in front of her. The walls were a dark wood with bookcases filled with all sorts of books against the walls and a dark blue carpet was on the floor. The large high back chair slowly turned around as she giggled and Adam blinked at her. He was dressed in a dark blue smoking jacket, blue and white striped pajamas and blue slippers and had the top of a curved pipe in his teeth. Blowing soap bubbles into the air, he nodded for her to sit at his feet and she sat down.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked.

"Yep," she said then noticed that she was dressed in a pink nightgown and white bunny slippers. He reached over when he took the storybook off the table to his left and opened the book.

"Tonight's story is called "Who is the Doctor?"," he said when the scene changed and she saw cartoon red grass, a burnt orange sky, trees with silver leaves and a cartoon city under a glass dome. "Once, long ago on the planet Gallifrey, there lived a Time Lord called the Doctor."

Suddenly a cartoon version of the Doctor in his first life appeared and Namid blinked, looking at what her father looked like at the beginning.

"That isn't Daddy," she said.

"Yes, I am," the Doctor said with a smile.

"But you're old!" she said and he huffed and puffed, getting flustered.

"Is that anyway to talk to your father, hm?"

"Sorry," she said then looked at Adam. "Uncle Adam, how can Daddy talk to me when he's off saving Mommy?"

"Uh, you're right, he shouldn't be talking to you," Adam said then sensed Theta's mind in his head. "Hold on. Theta, what are you doing here?"

"I heard you were going to tell her a story and snuck into your head before you set up the privacy block. Besides, you know I like your stories," Theta said. "So, Namid, is it ok if I'm your daddy for this story?"

"Yeah, it's ok," she said as she smiled and he sent love into her mind.

"Now, the Doctor was bored from living on Gallifrey and decided to leave," Adam said as the Doctor headed into the junkyard and the TARDIS sat among the rubbish. He opened the door then went inside and the TARDIS vanished.

"Daddy found the TARDIS in the rubbish?" she asked and Adam nodded.

"Now, the Doctor traveled through space and time, fighting aliens, monsters and bad people but the worst of all the aliens were…THE DALEKS!" Adam said as he showed her what a dalek looked like and she giggled.

"They look like pepper pots," she snickered and he smiled. Suddenly the Doctor was surrounded by the cartoon daleks and they wiggled their eyestalks up and down.

"THE DOCTOR IS OUR ENEMY! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" the head dalek said when the Doctor ran at them and whacked them on the heads with his cane. "RETREAT, THE DOCTOR IS TOO STRONG!"

"WE OBEY!" the daleks said as they scooted off and the Doctor leaned on his cane, waving his fist at them.

"Yay!" Namid said and he did a little bow.

"The Doctor was brave but, alas, he fell over his own big feet and crashed to the ground," Adam said while the Doctor walked along then tripped, falling behind a rock.

"Ow, that hurt!" the Doctor said when Namid saw a flash of golden light and a hand appeared on the top of the rock. The cartoon version of the Doctor's second life stood up and looked at his hands and clothing. "Oh my giddy aunt, what happened to me?"

"The Doctor had changed his look but he still was the mightiest of the Time Lords," Adam said and the Doctor shyly smiled.

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far," he said.

"You are!" Namid said and the Doctor beamed.

"Why thank you, my dear," the Doctor said then took the recorder out of his pocket and started playing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Namid sang along while he played and Adam coughed, arching an eyebrow at them. "Oh, sorry about that, dear boy, do go on."

"The Doctor fought many foes and monsters while traveling in his second life then, one day, he fell into a dark hole and screamed like a girl," Adam said while the Doctor walked along then fell into a hole, screaming as he fell.

"Oh, that smarts," the Doctor said as the golden light flashed again and a pair of hands appeared at the edge of the hole. The cartoon version of the Doctor's third life climbed out of the hole and dusted himself off.

"He's old again,'" Namid said and the Doctor frowned.

"Wasn't I old in my second life?" he asked.

"Nope, just grumpy looking," Namid said then giggled and the Doctor smiled, rolling his eyes.

"The Doctor, at this time, was sent by the Time Lords to live on Earth for a bit and encountered very strange aliens, monsters and bad people. He also got a car called Bessie and turned her into a robot car. Now, Bessie was cranky at times and wouldn't listen to the Doctor. The Doctor use to get really mad at her and would yell at her. Being tired of being yelled at, Bessie drove him into a tunnel and they got hit by a truck," Adam said and the Doctor looked at him.

"You really are enjoying hurting him, aren't you?" Theta asked and Adam smiled.

"Just wait to you see what I do when he gets up to his ninth life," he said with a wink and Theta sighed. Getting into the car, the Doctor drove Bessie down the road until they came to a tunnel and went inside the tunnel. A loud blast of a truck horn filled the air then a loud crash and two of Bessie's tires rolled out of the tunnel after the truck left the tunnel.

"Ouch," the cartoon version of the Doctor's fourth life said as he staggered out of the tunnel after a flash of golden light and took the floppy hat off. Namid giggled as he looked at her and pouted. "What are you laughing at?"

"You're all hair and teeth," she said and he sighed.

"By this life, the Time Lords decided that it was time for him to come back to Gallifrey but he didn't really want to. He did like traveling with his friend, Sarah Jane Smith…." Adam said and Namid blinked.

"Are you talking about Aunt Sarah Jane?" she asked and he nodded.

"One day, the Doctor faced the daleks again but this time he met the one that created them," Adam said when a cartoon version of Davros appeared and Namid frowned.

"Who's that?"

"This is Davros," Theta said he and Adam sensed the fear in Namid's mind.

"The Doctor didn't like Davros very much and kicked him out of the TARDIS when Davros came to fight him," Adam said as the Doctor and Davros appeared in the control room and the Doctor grabbed hold of Davros' life support chair, pushed it toward the doors then shoved it out the door and Davros shouted that the Doctor hadn't seen the last of him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the Doctor said as he wiped his hands on the scarf then closed the doors.

"Yay!" Namid said as the Doctor did a bow, walked around the console, tripped on the long scarf and fell to the floor. There was a flash of golden light when the cartoon version of the Doctor's fifth life stood up and Namid's mouth dropped open. "Wow, Daddy looks really cute!"

"As cute as he is now?" Theta asked and she nodded.

"It was during this life that the Doctor started playing cricket between trips with his friends but, one day, a cricket ball hit him in the…." Adam said then coughed while the Doctor tossed a cricket ball in one hand and glared at him. "Um, one day, he got really sick while helping his friend and fell to the floor."

Tossing the cricket ball into the air, the Doctor made dramatic choking sounds when he fell to the floor behind the console and the golden light flared.

"Namid, promise me that you won't laugh when you see him, ok?" Theta asked.

"Ok," Namid said and Adam smiled, knowing what was coming.

"That goes for you, too, Adam," Theta said and Adam nodded. The cartoon version of Doctor's sixth life stood up as he adjusted the multicolored coat and walked around the console. He blinked then gave them a smug look and Namid cupped her mouth, trying not to laugh.

"What's so funny?" he asked in an angry tone.

"You look like a clown!" Namid said and the Doctor snorted, turning to one side with his arms folded across his chest.

"Now most would say that this life was when the Doctor was a really nasty bugger and no one liked him too much," Adam said when the Doctor's mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide.

"I say, that was rude!" the Doctor said and Adam shrugged.

"So, not having that many friends, the Doctor just stormed out of the TARDIS and…." Adam said and the Doctor placed his hands on his hips.

"You got that right!" the Doctor said as he stormed out the door when the golden light flared and a cartoon black rectangle appeared with BLEEP written on it. Slowly the cartoon version of the Doctor's seventh life peeked out from behind the door and looked at them. Coughing, he walked into the control room and hooked the umbrella on his arm.

"Hullo," he said with a Scottish accent and Namid smiled.

"The Doctor was called the Professor in this life by his friend, Ace, and like to play the spoons and do a little magic," Adam said as the Doctor took his hat off, reached inside then took out a small bunny and Namid clapped. The Doctor did a little bow, placing the bunny into his hat and placed the hat on his head. "Then, sadly, he walked out of the TARDIS and was run over by a bus."

"Well, it's better than what really happened," the Doctor said when he walked out of the TARDIS while they heard the sound of tires screeching, a thud and the Doctor zoomed back into the control room, falling behind the console. They watched as the golden light flared and the cartoon version of the Doctor's eighth life stood up. He walked around the console as he leaned against it and smiled at Namid.

"He looks really handsome," Namid said as the Doctor did a bow and she giggled.

"The Doctor traveled for a long time until war broke out between the Time Lords and the Daleks and the Doctor went into battle, even though he didn't really want to. One day, while fighting the daleks, the Doctor was shot down in his space fighter and crashed into a lake," Adam said as the Doctor fought for control of his space fighter and it smashed into a lake. The golden light flared when they saw bubbles on the surface of the water and the cartoon version of the Doctor's ninth life walked out of the water. He shook off the water when he folded his arms over his chest and glared at them.

"Right, you better tell her the truth about what happens next or I will give you such a wedgie," the Doctor said and Namid giggled.

"So much for death by cutting your tongue on an envelope," Adam sighed and Namid laughed.

"No, I want to see that!" she said and the Doctor's eyes went wide.

"Oi, what did I ever do to you?" he asked and she laughed harder.

"The Doctor had returned to Earth where he fell in love with a young lovely named Rose Tyler…" Adam said.

"That's Aunt Rose, right?" Namid asked.

"Yep, and he was so in love with her that he wrote her long love poems but he never sent them. One day, he thought "What the heck!" and wrote her a really mushy love poem. He placed the poem into the envelope then went to lick the envelope close, cutting his tongue open with a really nasty paper cut," Adam said while the Doctor sat at the table and licked the envelope. He made choking sounds then fell to the floor and the golden light flared. Bouncing up to his feet, the cartoon version of the Doctor sat on the table when Namid noticed that he only had one hand and frowned.

"Where is his right hand?" she asked when the Doctor reached down and brought out a jar with the hand bouncing in blue liquid. The golden light flared again and his right hand appeared.

"The Doctor and Rose traveled together for a long time until she had to leave and the Doctor was sad," Adam said while the Doctor cried and Namid sighed. "He traveled with his new friends, Martha and Donna, when Davros and the daleks returned and placed Donna in the TARDIS with the jar. Donna and the TARDIS were in trouble so she touched the jar and it broke."

Namid watched as the jar broke then fell to the floor and a golden light flared. She gasped when a cartoon version of Alan hopped onto the table and sat down next to the Doctor.

"Yes, the hand grew into an annoying copy of the Doctor and he helped the Doctor get rid of Davros and the daleks. The Doctor decided that Rose would be better off with his clone so he sent them to live in another universe and left," Adam said when the Doctor pushed Alan off the table and Alan stood up, his lower lip quivering.

"Rose!" he shouted then ran away and the Doctor sighed.

"Now, the Doctor became really, really, really, really, really, really sad until he met a lovely woman named Rain and felt in love," Adam said when a cartoon version of Rain appeared and sat on the table next to the Doctor. The Doctor took one look at her and little cartoon hearts filled his eyes. Namid giggled when the Doctor kissed Rain and Adam smiled.

"In the end, the Doctor and Rain got married and had three amazing children. The end," Adam said as the scene faded and he felt Namid sending love into his mind.

"_Did you like that story, Mi-mi?" _he thought after lowering the privacy block and felt Theta's mind moving away.

"_Yep," _she thought and kissed his mind. _"Why did Uncle Theta leave?"_

"_I think he knew we wanted to talk in private. Now, I want you to know that I would have been there if I could. No one messes with my niece and gets away with it."_

"_I know," _she thought. _"I love you."_

"_I love you, too, my brave girl," _he thought and stroked her mind.

"_Uncle Alan's here. I have to go," _she thought.

"_Oi, who are you thinking to?" _Alan thought then felt Adam's mind in his mind. _"Ah, hello there, Old Sweat Sock."_

"_Sorry that I can't be there to help you kick their butt," _Adam thought.

"_Yeah, I bet they'd be surprised if we unleashed you on them," _Alan thought.

"_You got that right. The On Coming Storm is nothing compared to me!"_

"_Well, got to get Miss Squeaky Cleany out of the tub before she gets all pruney!" _Alan thought and Namid giggled.

"_Right," _Adam thought when he felt their minds moving away then opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. Smiling, he got off the couch when he walked to the kitchen and went to fix himself something to eat.


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter Sixty

Doc escorted Rain back to the living room.

"I'm glad you're alright. This whole day's been a dog's dinner, that's for sure. I could use a holiday right along with everyone else."

"I'm glad you're alright. I know how much anguish you must have suffered listening to our daughter scream and beg for us to help her."

Doc sighed and stopped her.

"I'm sorry, I should be strong but I was serious about nearly snapping and becoming the Valeyard again. I can't take the memory of…"

"Shh, it's okay, I understand. I'm thinking about having this day removed myself. I don't like thinking how close Namid came to death."

"Any other trauma I can compartmentalize and deal with but not this, not when Ya'nala was almost incinerated. Just the thought of not being able to see her and her smile and hear her laugh…Oh, I don't want these memories. I've given myself mental enemas in the past but a lot of times I wasn't 100 percent thorough, that's why I want the Doctor to do it so I can be certain all traces of it are gone."

Rain smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. He squeezed back and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I understand why he chose you as his lives mate. I only hope I can find someone just as wonderful someday…when I'm healed," he said as they walked.

"You shouldn't have to wait that long. The Doctor still had some issues when he fell in love with me," Rain said. "You can't let your healing get in the way of love."

"Just the same, I'd rather get to a point where I know I won't revert back to the Valeyard again," Doc replied.

Rain squeezed his hand.

"You won't, alright? We won't let you."

Doc smiled when she kissed his cheek.

"Ew!"

They looked over and saw Chaska peeking out of the living room.

"Get back in there, you little monkey," Rain said as Doc chuckled.

They entered the room and saw Sokanon and Namid curled up on the sofa watching The Emperor's New Groove on the big screen TV. The DVD they were watching was specially designed for the blind. In addition to the dialogue it also described what was happening so Namid could follow along. On the coffee table in front of them was one half eaten pizza and one full one along with several big bottles of soda, paper plates, plastic cutlery and plastic cups.

"The TARDIS knew you were coming back here so she made a new pizza for ya," Chaska said.

"Mummy?" Namid said, turning her eyes away from the TV to look in her direction.

"I'm here, Sweetie," she said as they walked towards her. "Me and Dada are here."

She smiled at her daughter who was lying at the end of the leather sofa. Since she saw her last, Namid had put on her powder blue Little Mermaid nightdress that she loved. She also was wearing her purple jellie sandals and was holding a tiny stuffed ET, two gifts from her father that he got her when he made a recent trip to the 1980's. All three items were among Namid's favorite items and Rain knew she had them with her for comforting purposes. She sat down between her daughters as Chaska climbed up beside Sokanon. Doc walked over, kissed Namid's temple and then sat down in the chair.

"Is Daddy okay?" Namid asked her mother. "He's angry."

"Yes, he is but I think he's alright. He had a huge scare after what happened to you and I want you to know this, all three of you. After he gets done taking care of this mess, Daddy is gonna go in and take away the memory of what happened so you won't remember it anymore."

Namid perked up. She rose up on her elbow.

"Daddy can fix it so I don't remember them trying to burn me?" she said hopefully.

"Yes, baby. Daddy can take those memories away from your mind forever."

"Good cause I don't wanna think about it anymore," Namid said as Rain rubbed her leg.

"He's going to do the same to Dada since Dada was upset by what happened," Rain added.

Namid looked around for him and Doc stood up, bent over and kissed her cheek.

"You wanna forget too, Dada?" she asked him.

"In the worst way," he replied.

Namid opened her arms and Doc accepted her hug. Rain smiled when her other children got up off the sofa and ran to hug him. He sat back down when Sokanon and Chaska returned to their places but he scooted his chair closer to the sofa and laid her hand on Namid's head while Rain fixed another plate of pizza for her and fixed one for herself.

Zod swallowed hard as they approached Mackus. He was standing behind his pilot and co-pilot but behind him was the Doctor and the Doctor was still fuming. Zod kept very quiet; terrified the Time Lord might take his anger out on him at any moment. It was mostly his idea to go track down the princess's fiancé but he wasn't about to tell the Doctor that lest he get a bloody nose. He'd heard tales of the Doctor's rages and the destruction he had wrought on other civilizations and he didn't want to see Mackus leveled to the ground.

The Doctor on the other hand was trying to keep calm. He was still seething from what they did to Namid but he had been alive long enough to know that often royal advisors would work on their own to fulfill what they thought they sovereign wanted or just to further their own ends. For all he knew, Thelopian could be innocent, not knowing what her advisor was up to. She seemed like a nice woman and she had even helped him which made him wonder if Zod was acting on his own. That was why he wanted to speak with her and learn the real truth before he began blaming people for what happened.

But just because he was reserving judgment for the moment didn't mean he couldn't pretend to be out for Zod's blood in order to keep him and his men from doing anything to further harm him or his family which is why he was currently behind the short, pudgy advisor giving him the look of death.

While he stood there, he felt a privacy block being put up around his mind.

_Daddy,_ Namid thought to him.

For the first time in awhile, a smile broke across his face.

_Yes, Rainbow?_ He thought back.

_Are you going to see the princess?_

_Yes, I am. I want to talk to her, he thought._

_Can I come with you?_

The Doctor frowned.

_Why?_ He thought.

_I want to talk to her too and find out why she wanted to kill me._

_Well, Rainbow, I'm not sure if it's her. See, sometimes bad people work for good people and they get their own ideas about hurting people and act on them. Zod might have decided to do this on his own._

_Then can I come and ask? I just wanna know why someone would do this to me. They said that they burn people who are different. Why do they do that? _

The Doctor had been wondering the same thing. His stomach turned wondering how many people had been incinerated on Mackus because they weren't born completely whole. That was another thing he had been meaning to ask the princess and if possible, he was putting a stop to that as well. He considered Namid's request and then brought Doc's mind into the privacy block.

_Doc?_ He thought.

_Yeah?_ Doc thought back.

He relayed Namid's request and asked him if he would come along to provide protection.

_I would like to do that. I also want to hear what the princess has to say, _Doc thought.

After that, the Doctor opened up the privacy block and thought to everyone and told them what was going on.

_Let me come too, Brother,_ Alan thought. _Just in case._

_And I wanna come too,_ Rain thought. _I wanna meet this princess myself._

_Can I come, Daddy?_ Sokanon asked.

_Better not, Soki,_ the Doctor thought. _It's risky bringing Namid out and if trouble starts, I wanna worry about her and her alone. _

_We'll do something fun while they're gone,_ Awinita thought.

_Yeah, you'll have lots of fun with me and Nita and Namor while the grownups are gone, _Nelak thought.

_Oh blimey, maybe we better take the children with us then, _the Doctor thought.

He smiled when he heard laughter in his mind and he thought it was the sweetest sound he'd ever heard after everything that had happened. He noticed out the front window that as they passed a planet, Mackus was coming into view.

Better get Mi-mi ready, he thought to them. We're almost there now.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter Sixty One

By the time they landed, Namid was ready, having changed out of her nightdress into a white t-shirts and jean shorts. She put her ET on her bed in her room but kept her jellies on. Meanwhile, the Doctor was still with Zod mentally promising Sokanon and Chaska that he would make up for their not coming along with something fun after they were through.

_Can we go to the circus, Daddy?_ Sokanon thought to him.

_Or a funfair?_ Chaska thought.

_We might. I'll see what the TARDIS can find when I have a spare moment,_ the Doctor thought to them.

The skimmer landed on a wide concrete landing pad on top of a large palace that was reminiscent of old Bavarian castles. The fact that the castle looked like something out of a fairy tale made the landing pad look out of place but the Doctor wasn't about to complain if it meant going directly into the palace itself. He looked around when the door behind him opened and Alan, Doc, Rain and Namid came out. Zod did a double take. Doc had on a black pinstripe suit with a white shirt and black tie and Alan was dressed in a maroon t-shirt and black trousers so the princess would have no trouble telling them apart. Rain was dressed in a pink shirt and blue jeans. Zod looked at the Doctor.

"What are they doing here?"

"They are coming with us. My daughter wishes to talk to the princess and ask her why she would want to burn alive someone like her."

He narrowed his eyes when he saw the fear in Zod's eyes. Like lightning, he reached out and grabbed his neck while Doc and Alan moved closer to the guards to keep them in check.

"I knew it; you're acting on your own. She has no idea you did this, does she?" he snarled at him.

The Doctor got his answer from the fear in his eyes even though Zod said nothing.

"I started wondering why the princess would order something like this especially since she was so kind to me the last time I saw her."

"What happened between you and her was legally binding, she's of age and it's time for you to marry her."

"O-ho-ho no, it's not, it's time for you to answer for what you've done," the Doctor said. "And you are going to answer for this, starting with telling her Royal Highness exactly what you've been doing behind her back! Now move!"

He let go of Zod and Alan and Doc shoved the guards into place behind them, pretending to hold them at bay with their sonic screwdrivers. The Doctor barked at them to move and the three captives moved to the side where Zod lowered the landing ramp to the concrete. By the time they went down it, several more guards had assembled on the landing pad.

"I'm the Doctor, part of a diplomatic mission from New Gallifrey," he told the new guards. "I wish to see the princess as soon as possible."

The guards hurried away while the Doctor, his family and the captives waited patiently.

_Nelak, can you do me a favor?_ The Doctor thought to him while they waited.

_Yeah?_ Nelak thought back.

_Call home and see if someone can get a hold of Xashon and explain what's happened. I have a feeling she'll need to get involved since this involves Thelopian's advisor turning rogue and acting on his own._

_Gotcha. You lot okay?_

_We're fine, so far. We'll let you know if we need your help,_ he thought to him.

He cut off contact with his brother-in-law just as one of the guards came back.

"Her Highness will see you immediately in her throne room. Please follow me," he said to them.

"Good," the Doctor said as they walked with him to the door that led into one of the towers.

There was a steep flight of stairs leading down from the tower and the Doctor and Rain helped their daughter down them while Doc and Alan kept their eyes on Zod and the guards.

"I see you have your favorite jellies on," the Doctor said to her as they went down.

"Mm-hmm, they're comfortable," Namid replied.

"Well, glad you like them. I thought they'd look cute on ya and whadda know? They do? I'm brilliant!"

Namid giggled at that as Rain tousled her hair. Alan glanced behind him.

"Where are my ultra-cool jellie sandals?" he said to him.

"In the '80's, go get em," the Doctor said.

Rain snickered when Alan stuck his tongue out at him and turned his head back around. As they reached the last step and came out of the tower, the Doctor was glad another guard was leading them since he could tell Zod was minutes away from bolting and hiding for cover. He began to wonder if the whole policy of burning defects was his idea as well and his fist balled up as the desire to hit him began to take hold in his brain.

After walking through a beautiful stone castle filled with antique wooden furniture and detailed tapestries, the guard stopped them outside a ten foot wooden door with carved images of mythological creatures on it. He opened the door and slipped inside. Seconds after he did, the Doctor noticed Zod start to run away and with a smirk, he grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and held him there until the guard returned.

"Enter," he said to them as he opened both doors wide.

They walked into a large stone throne room. More tapestries on the walls depicted heroes slaying dragon-like creatures or lizard men and one over a golden throne had a large crest. The crest was a shield that had a flower that resembled a poppy on it while on either side of it were the heads of a unicorn and a deer. Sitting in the throne was a young nineteen year old girl with long blonde hair that was so light it was near white, her skin was pale and milky and her eyes were an unnaturally bright blue. She had slim aristocratic hands that had several rings on them with purple and green gems and she was wearing a shimmering white dress and a robe that was bright red, trimmed in white fur and had the crest on the back of it. On her feet were dainty white satin slippers and her feet were resting on a small pillow of the same color and material as her shoes. She frowned as she looked on Zod and the two guards and then her confused gaze shifted to the Doctor and his family.

"The Doctor? Where is he? My guard told me he wanted to see me but I don't see him here."

"That would be me, Highness," the Doctor said, stepping forward. "I've changed bodies since I last saw you."

Thelopian gazed at him and Rain raised her eyebrow when she saw the interest on her face.

"You look better than you did. I remember you as a little gnome who dressed badly."

The Doctor blushed as Namid laughed out loud which caused the rest of her family to chuckle at that. Thelopian noticed Namid for the first time and smiled at her.

"And who is she?"

"She is my daughter, Namid, and part of the reason why I'm here, Your Highness."

He paused, gauging her reaction, but he saw no outrage in her face at the fact that he had a daughter which confirmed in his mind that she knew nothing about what her advisor had done. He beckoned to Rain and mentally told her to bring Namid with her. Rain took her daughter's hand and came up beside him. The Doctor introduced them and introduced Alan and Doc, giving her a brief explanation for why they looked the same of him before he launched into an explanation of what Zod had done. As he talked, Thelopian slowly became angrier and angrier and the guard that had opened the door for them moved to stop him when it looked like he was going to leave. By the time he had finished, she was livid and Zod was pale as a ghost.

"Doctor, I can assure you that I had no hand in this," Thelopian said. "That marriage contract was not drawn up by me but by my father and even though I love him he always was an ambitious man. He thought a marriage between us would bring prestige to our kingdom, especially considering how much of a legend you are. He did bring the matter up about a year ago when I turned 18 and I told him that I had no wish to marry you since I didn't love you and I knew it was basically a political move on his part. I thought that wish had been conveyed to my advisor but apparently not," she added, narrowing her eyes at Zod.

"Your Highness, you are not the ruler, these are your father's wishes. He wanted to see you wed the Doctor."

"That was a long time ago, Zod, and as I just said, I told him upon reaching the age of adulthood that I wouldn't honor that silly contract. What you did was not only criminal; it was treason since my father agreed to my wish which means you went against my father. And Doctor, there is no such law saying that defective people have to be burned."

"Thank God for that," Rain muttered.

Thelopian glared at Zod who visibly cringed.

"What is the meaning of this? This so-called policy of burning defects?" she said to him.

"Your Highness, I thought that it would be the best way to dispose of a non-productive worker since I was bringing them back for slaves and…"

"Excuse me, Highness," Doc said, raising his hand.

"Yes…um…Doc?"

"Yeah, I happen to be a second father for Namid and I was wondering if I could ask your permission to do something."

"And that something would be?"

"May I approach the throne and whisper in the royal ear?"

"You may."

Doc hurried up to the throne. He leaned over into Thelopian's ear and whispered.

"Permission granted, Doc," Thelopian said when he finished.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Doc said with a bow.

The Doctor glanced at Rain as he casually strolled back towards them. As he passed by Zod, his fist suddenly flew out and connected with his jaw, sending him to the floor.

"That is for Namid and I've wanted to do that all bloody day!" he yelled at the stunned advisor as his adult family members laughed hysterically.

He turned and bowed to Thelopian.

"Thanks for your permission, Your Highness, I feel tons better now," he said to her before he strolled back to Alan who was bent over laughing.

He and his brother high fived each other as Zod struggled to his feet. While he was doing that, Thelopian struggled to keep from laughing. She glanced at the guard who had opened the door.

"Guard, seize my advisor, I'm placing him under arrest," she said.

The guard seized Zod as Thelopian looked at the other two guards.

"What about you? Are you an accessory to these crimes?" she asked them.

"We were under the impression that you ordered His Excellency to do this so we obeyed since we were afraid of punishment if we didn't," one of the guards said.

Thelopian blinked in amazement.

"Tell me, guard, does this sound like something I would normally order you to do?"

"No, Your Highness," the guard said sheepishly.

"Then tell me why you would go along with this horrible plan without questioning it?"

"We were under the impression that…"

Thelopian held up her hand, silencing him.

"I don't care. There will be an investigation into this, I assure you and your roles in it will be thoroughly examined. I give you my word, Doctor, that these crimes will not go unpunished."

"Thank you, Your Highness," the Doctor said. "That's all I care about is seeing justice done. I don't want any trouble between our two worlds and if you'll prosecute him and any other guilty people, I will be satisfied."

"I give you my word that we will and my father and mother can back me up on that," Thelopian said. "Now…um…could you wait here a moment, I'll be right back. Guard, keep an eye on these three in the meantime."

"Yes, Your Highness," the guard who was holding Zod said.

Thelopian got up and left through a secret door behind her throne while the Doctor shared a grin with his family and Alan pumped his fist in the air.

"Thank heavens it was only him," the Doctor said in a low voice to Rain. "Saves a diplomatic mission. I'll have to tell Nelak to tell the others not to bother Xashon after all. She has enough on her plate without this."

The door opened and Thelopian came back in.

"Doctor, could you bring your daughter here?" she asked as she sat down.

Doc and Alan moved up to guard Rain as the Doctor took Namid's hand and led her around the guards to the throne.

"She's pretty. Is she your only daughter?"

"No, I have several daughters and two sons," the Doctor said. "She's here because she was wanting to ask if you had a hand in her being burned alive but I s'pose she has her answer now."

"I'm glad you aren't bad like some people," Namid said.

"I love children, Namid. I'm appalled that someone tried to burn you. You seem like a very sweet little girl and I'm sorry for what happened. I wanted to give you a gift as a token of friendship because I'd like to be friends with you. Is that okay?"

"Yes, I'd like to be friends," Namid said as the Doctor smiled.

"Um…you might have to explain what this is since she can't see," Thelopian said to the Doctor.

"I can do more than that. Our race is telepathic and we can show each other images of things. If I can see her gift, I can telepathically show her what it looks like."

"Oh good, I was worried about that. But, I hope you like this, Namid. I was given this when I was about your age and I thought you might like it."

Namid held out her hand and Thelopian put a white box into it. The box had gold around the edges and opened at the top with a lid.

"It's a music box. I was trying to think what would please a blind girl and I thought you'd like the music it makes but I'm glad your father can show you the inside of it."

"Daddy's showing me it now. Thank you."

"Open the lid, Mi-mi, and I'll show you the inside," the Doctor said.

Namid put her hand at the top and opened the lid. Music tinkled and the Doctor saw pink lining inside and a little solid gold replica of the castle. Namid gasped and ooed when he showed her what it looked like.

"Thank you," Namid said.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

Namid handed it to her father. Once he took it, she turned back to Thelopian and held open her arms for a hug. Thelopian laughed and gladly hugged her as her family smiled.

"You're welcome here, Namid, and so is your family," Thelopian said.

"Ooo, thank you. Um…do you want your ring back? My sister has it but Daddy can make her give it back."

"Ring? What ring?"

"The engagement ring that was sent to me."

"I sent no ring."

She eyed Zod who gulped.

"What ri…wait, Doctor describe the ring," Thelopian said, looking at him.

He described the ring and Thelopian glared at Zod.

"So you're the one who stole the ring my father gave me last year!" she said as Alan let out an "Oooo" under his breath. "So you're a thief as well as a kidnapper and would be murderer?"

"He also installed a tracking device in it. That's how he found me," the Doctor said.

"Guard, put him in a cell and put the two guards under house arrest. I've lost all patience with these clowns!" Thelopian said.

"Buh-bye," Alan said as the guard marched the captives past him.

"I s'pose then you'll want the ring back," the Doctor said.

"Is your other daughter here?"

"Yes, she's in my TARDIS."

"Oh, please bring her here and anyone else in your TARDIS. I'd like to meet them. Don't worry, I'll give your daughter something as well to make up for giving the ring back."

"Thank you because I'm sure she'll be disappointed. She likes the ring," the Doctor said. "Alan, Doc, one of you wanna go get the others?"

"I will," Alan said.

"And if you don't mind, my parents will be back tonight. Will you stay and dine with us as my guests? I want him to hear this personally," Thelopian asked.

The Doctor glanced back at Rain and Doc who nodded.

"It would be an honor, Highness," he said.

"Please call me Thelopian. I'm not ruling the land yet, for god's sake," she said, rolling her eyes.

Alan returned about twenty minutes later with the rest of the family and Namor and the Doctor made introductions. Sokanon handed the ring back to her and Thelopian excused herself. She returned and gave her a diamond child-sized tiara that she had worn as a child.

"Thank you, wow!" Sokanon said as everyone laughed.

Thelopian smiled at Chaska.

"Being a girl, I don't have many boy gifts so I decided to give you a credit stick worth 500 credits that you can use to buy whatever you want," she said, handing it to him.

"Thank you," Chaska said, taking it.

"I didn't want your son to be left out of this."

"Yes, because trust me, the boy will whinge if you do."

"Be quiet, Uncle Alan," Chaska said as the Doctor and the others laughed.

Thelopian went past them and summoned two guards.

"Guards, these are my guests, please take them to the guest wing and make them comfortable. Get them something to eat and drink if they wish it and guard them."

The guards bowed and beckoned to everyone. Rain took Namid's hand and everyone followed the guards as they went out the door.


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter Sixty Two

The guest room were large and luxurious, each with their own bathroom. The children took one room, Rain and the Doctor took the one next to theirs, Nelak and Awinita took the one next to them and Alan, Dex, Doc and Namor shared a room. One of the guards brought them tea, cups and milk, lemon and sugar so the Doctor had a cuppa while he examined the room. The bed was a large king sized wooden sleigh bed with a midnight blue duvet. The walls had white wall paper with the royal crest on it and a huge painting of a man dressed in black armor and holding a large sword was on the wall across from the bed. Underneath was a large wooden chest of drawers and in the corner was a black antique armoire. Near the door was a wooden vanity with brush, comb and mirror made out of mother of pearl. Next to the bed was a large wooden chest and when the Doctor opened it with his screwdriver, he saw a white blanket and several white flat and fitted sheets. He closed it and locked it before he joined his wife on the bed. He put his hands behind his head and stared ahead at the painting of the man who stared back at him with a stern look on his face.

"Wonder who that bloke was?" he said, pointing to it as Rain snuggled up next to him.

"Ancestor?" Rain said with a shrug.

"Well, he's a real dour sour as Alan would say. Don't think I'd want him as a relation," the Doctor said.

"Did someone reference me?"

Alan peeked inside and the Doctor groaned when he saw the tiara perched on his head.

"How did I know that would eventually end up on your noddle?" he said as Rain shook her head.

"Hey! Don't blame me. Soki placed it there!" he said.

"I thought It'd make him look pretty," they heard Soki say behind him.

"Yeah and I do look pretty. Although it doesn't go with my eyes, what do you think?"

"I think you're a nut," Rain muttered.

"I know you are but what am I?" Alan retorted.

"A man in need of serious therapy," Rain said.

"I know you are but what am I?"

"A nuisance, now get out of here," Rain replied.

Sokanon came into the room and took Alan's hand. Alan whistled as she led him to Rain's side of the bed and stopped.

"What do you want, baby?" Rain asked.

"I wanna listen to you insult Uncle Alan more," Sokanon said smugly.

"Oh, you do?" she said as Alan pulled free of her and ran out of the room. "Well, I'd love to but he just ran off with your tiara, dear. You better go get it back before he sells it for White Castles."

They laughed when Sokanon turned and ran out of the room.

"Same old stuff now that the danger's passed," Rain said to her husband as they lay together.

"Yes, except…"

"Yeah?"

The Doctor got up.

"I don't have a bedside table to put my cup on, gotta go over to the chest of drawers to retrieve this," he said, picking up his cup of tea. "Ah well, I'll risk spilling it in bed. Not gonna go back and forth to drink my tea."

He got back into bed and took a sip.

"When we get back, I'll have to fix the children's and Doc's memories…wait, before that, I'll have to calm my family down and then do that."

"Can you do that now?"

They looked over when Namid peeked into the room.

"Well, love, it's too soon because we're gonna talk to Thelopian and her parents tonight when we eat with them. Why? Are you thinking about it?"

She nodded and the Doctor got up. He put his cup of tea on the vanity and picked her up. He told Rain to get up for a moment and when she did he pulled the duvet down with one hand and all of them got into it. He pulled it up around them and he and Rain came in close, making a cocoon with their bodies as Namid snuggled close. Namid closed her eyes while they both concentrated on pouring love into her mind. Namid grabbed hold of her father's lapel and felt it, taking comfort in the feel of the fabric as the Doctor and Rain took turns kissing her.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"What'd she mean when she said you were a little gnome who dressed badly?"

Rain laughed when the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"She meant my seventh life and I agree I was very short and my clothes were naff but she didn't have to put it like that," he said.

"I think I know who you're talking about. The TARDIS showed me what your other bodies looked like. Will I do that someday?"

"Change bodies? Oh yes, someday," the Doctor said.

"Would I change bodies in the furnace?"

The Doctor winced at that and he kept silent.

"You can tell me, Daddy. I'm gonna forget anyway, you know," she said.

"Yes, but you're scared now and I don't wanna scare you further."

"Would I change?"

"Yes, Rainbow, but if you're inside a furnace surrounded by flames, you wouldn't be able to escape so you'd keep on dying and keep going through lives until your last one and then you'd finally die," the Doctor said, trying not to picture his daughter screaming as she cycled through thirteen lives in the middle of a flaming death.

He waited for her response but she fell silent for a moment as he held her tightly.

"I'm glad you're gonna make me forget," she finally said.

Tears came to Rain's eyes and the Doctor kissed both her and Namid as he rubbed her back. While they were snuggling, Alan peeked into the room. He saw what was going on and was going to withdraw quietly but the Doctor caught the movement and saw him.

"Yes, Brother?" he said, looking at him.

"Nothing, just checking on Mi-mi. I saw her come in here but you're in the middle of something so I'll go annoy Awinita instead."

"Hey!"

Alan was ducking out when Namid called to him. He stuck his head back in.

"Yeeees?" he said.

"Come here, I want a kiss," Namid said, looking his way.

"Hmm, kisses will set ya back about five quid. Fork up!" he said.

"No!" Namid said.

"'K, no smootcharoo for you, buckaroo! Now where is Soki and that beautiful tiara?"

"No, come here, I'll pay it!" Namid said as her parents chuckled.

Alan sauntered over to the bed and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Five quid for services rendered."

Namid pretended to pay him and he bent over and gave her a firm kiss on the cheek.

"Wonderful, now I have five quid I can trade for the tiara."

"Why? So you can prance around like the Queen of England?" Rain said while Namid giggled.

"No, so Rose can. I like a woman in a tiara. Course I have to wrestle the credit stick away from Chas to pay Mi-mi here for the jewelry box so she can have that as well. Hmmm."

"Do I have to physically restrain you, Brother?" the Doctor said.

"Do I?" Alan countered.

The Doctor looked at Rain as she said, "Oooo…" He cleared his throat and beckoned to Alan while he showed Namid what he was doing. Alan, wide-eyed, leaned in and the Doctor lightly slapped his cheek while Namid giggled.

"No tricking my children into surrendering their gifts. Now, where was I?" he said, turning back to his wife.

"You slapped me," Alan said.

"What do you wanna do for a holiday when we get outta here, Mi-mi?" the Doctor asked her.

"You slapped me," Alan repeated as he poked his shoulder. "Why did you slap me, Santa Claus, I was a good boy this year."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow then grinned as Namid laughed harder. He felt a privacy block going up around his mind.

_I take it from the snuggle session that Namid got scared over recent events_, Alan though to the Doctor.

_Yes. She wanted me to take her memories out now but I told her we had to wait if we're dining with Thelopian and her parents tonight. She told us she was scared so we snuggled with her._

_Thought so, trying to make her laugh so she'll feel better._

_Thank you, Brother. The more laughter, the better. I can always rely on you._

He lifted the block from his mind and looked at Alan.

"Did Nelak call home?" he said aloud.

"Yeah, called Jack and told him what was going on earlier. Then called him back several minutes ago and told him that Xashon may not be needed. He told him to use his discretion just in case Xashon does want to get involved but everyone is relieved that we're all safe. And Rain, your dad wants you to call him when you get the chance."

"Thanks, Bro. Probably wants to hear about Mi-mi and how she's doing."

"Can I talk to him, Mummy, when you call?"

"I have a feeling he'll want to talk to you anyway, baby, but you can," she said. "I'll do it after the banquet tonight because I wanna hear what Thelopian's parents have to say before I tell him."

"And…young lady, where do you wanna go once we get outta here?" the Doctor said to Namid.

"I wanna go to the circus."

"Ooo, nice choice. If they have giraffes, I can beat them up."

"Oh for the love of God, will you stop that running joke already," Rain said as the Doctor sniggered, "that's older than the crust in your pants!"

Alan straightened up and stared down at his crotch.

"Funny, thought I changed my Y-fronts this morning. Crust in my pants grows fast then," he said as the Doctor and Namid giggled.

"Uncle Alan?" Namid said.

"Moo?"

Namid giggled.

"Okay, Cow Alan, where's Dada?"

"Moo, moo moo moo, moo moo moo moo."

Namid laughed harder and the Doctor and Rain smiled when she began to moo back at him.

"As for your other father, I believe he's chatting with Namor in our room. Do you need to see him?"

"I'd like to."

"Una momento, little buttercup."

He strolled out of the room and returned a few minutes later with Doc.

"Yes, sweetie?" he said.

"Dada, I got scared thinking about what happened to me."

The Doctor glanced at him and winced when he saw Doc swallow hard.

"Could you sing our special song?"

Everyone looked at Doc.

"Special song?" Alan said as Doc coughed nervously.

"It's just a song we heard one night when I was looking after her and I remarked that it fit my feelings for her perfectly and she asked me to sing it and it became our special song from there on out."

"Sing it," Alan said.

"Um…"

"Don't worry about us, Brother. We're definitely not gonna make fun of you," the Doctor said. "Just pretend you're alone with her and sing."

"Please, Dada?" Namid asked.

Doc smiled. He leaned in close as the Doctor scooted back slightly. He put his hand on her head and sang…

"I, I was the lonely one wondering what went wrong. Why love had gone and left me lonely.  
I, I was so confused feeling like I'd just been used. Then you came to me and my loneliness left me."

The Doctor, Alan and Rain smiled as they listened to him singing the Air Supply song to Namid. The Doctor glanced down at her and saw a contented smile spread over her face as she stared up at him adoringly.

"Even the nights are better, now that we're here together. Even the nights are better since I found you, whoa-whoa-whoa."

While he continued to sing, the Doctor, Rain and Alan poured love into her mind and the Doctor sensed her becoming more content.

"You, you knew just what to do cause you had been lonely too. And you showed me how to ease the pain. And you did more than mend a broken heart. Cause now you've made a fire start and I, I can see that you feel the same way. I never dreamed there'd be someone to hold me until you told me and now that I've found you…"

He continued to sing and by the end of the song, Namid was fast asleep. Doc leaned down and kissed her temple.

"Love ya, Ya'nala," he whispered to her before he straightened back up.

"That was beautiful, Brother," the Doctor whispered as Namid let out a sigh in her sleep.

"Thanks. Like I said, it came on the radio one night and we listened and she liked it and it became our special song. I just hope she doesn't have any nightmares now."

"I'm monitoring her. The first sign I get that she's in distress I'm waking her up but until then I'm glad she's asleep, she needs her rest after everything that's happened," the Doctor said as Rain nodded in agreement.

Doc nodded. He looked at Alan and both men tiptoed out of the room as Rain snuggled up close to Namid. She put her arm across her and put her hand on her husband's back. The Doctor smiled as she closed her eyes and he kept a protective watch over both as they slept.


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter Sixty Three

*BOOM*

The smell of sulfur filled the house while Theta ran into the living room and smoke floated along the ceiling.

"What happened?" he demanded as he ran into the kitchen and saw pink and orange ooze dripping off the counter of the kitchen island. Slowly, two small, ooze covered heads rose from behind the kitchen island and the eyes behind the goggles blinked at him. Theta's nine year old son, Cameron, and his nine year old granddaughter, Zoe, were covered head to toe in the pink and orange ooze while tiny puffs of smoke rose from the volcano model sitting on the counter and some of the ooze dripped down from the ceiling.

"Hi, Daddy," Cam said softly as Theta walked closer then stopped at the edge of a large puddle of ooze.

"Um, we can explain," Zoe said sheepishly and Theta half lowered his eyes and gave them a smug look.

"Go on," Theta said with a nod of his head.

"We were assigned a project in science class and agreed to make a working volcano for the science fair on Friday," Cam said.

"We tested the lava compound and it is the right consistency of real lava but without the thermal element," Zoe said.

"We also constructed the base of the volcano from chicken wire and used some real lava rock from your collection."

"We also borrowed some sulfur and brimstone to give it the right scent but the fault was in the detonator. I think we wired it wrong," Zoe sighed and Theta nodded, wiping the ooze that had fallen from the ceiling out of his hair.

"And why were you testing it in the kitchen and not outside?" Theta asked.

"Because Mommy would freak if we got it all over the deck," Cam said and Theta blinked.

"And she's not going to freak when she sees this?"

"We were going to clean it up," Zoe said and Theta nodded, smiling.

"Well, let's have a look, shall we?" he said as he walked to the kitchen island and noticed some of the ooze was dribbling down the cupboard doors. "Your mother is going to…."

"Oh my….!" Frankie said when Theta turned around and held his hands up.

"Love, this isn't what it looks like!" he said as she walked toward them and he felt the anger in her mind. "Right, when I say run, you run. Run!"

Theta headed for the back door but couldn't get the door open and turned, looking at Cameron standing in the doorway. He was grinning at them and was wiggling his fingers. Cameron was telekinetic which enabled him to keep the door closed and Theta sighed, walking back to the kitchen island.

"Frankie," Theta said as his pissed off wife walked closer and she growled at him.

"What have you done?" she asked when a large glop of ooze landed on her head and Zoe and Cam pressed their lips together, trying not to laugh.

"It wasn't Daddy's fault," Cam said, giving her sad puppy dog eyes.

"Then whose fault was it?"

"It was out fault, Nan," Zoe said and stuck her lower lip out like her father, Jamie, did when he was upset.

"See? I am completely innocent!" Theta said with a grin then his face became serious when he saw she wasn't smiling.

"What did you kids do?" Cameron asked as he walked into the kitchen then looked at the ooze and closed his eyes. The ooze slowly wiggled back inside the volcano as he wiggled his fingers and Frankie smiled. With help from the Doctor and Theta, Cameron had gained control over his power and he sighed, opening his eyes.

"We were making a volcano for the science fair but the detonator didn't fire right," Zoe said as Cameron nodded and walked to the kitchen island.

"Let's have a look, yeah?" he asked as they walked to the kitchen island and stood next to him. Cameron looked at the detonator while Theta walked to Frankie and gave her a hurt look.

"Well?" he asked and she looked at him.

"Well what?" she asked.

"Are you going to tell me you're sorry?"

"Why would I do that?" she teased and his mouth dropped open.

"You practically accused me of blowing stinky pink and orange ooze all over the kitchen!"

"Well, you were standing there covered in it."

"And you immediately thing I did it! Thanks a lot," he said then stormed out of the kitchen while they looked at Frankie and she sighed, leaving the kitchen. She found him lying face down on the couch as she knelt down and touched his back. "Go away."

"Oh, come on, I'm sorry," she said but he shook his head and placed a small cushion over his head, crossing his arms over the top of the cushion. "You're acting like a baby."

"You didn't even let me explain," his muffled voice said as she moved his arms down and took the cushion off his head. Rolling onto his side, he pouted with his lower lip sticking out and she moved closer, kissing his lips. She gently sucked on his lower lips as she moved back and he sniffed, wiping his nose on his sleeve. Looking at the sadness in his eyes, she gently stroked his hair as he blinked and picked at a thread on the couch cushion.

"So tell me what happened," she said softly while he rolled onto her back and she rested her chin on his chest.

"I was in the TARDIS when I got hungry. I wanted a piece of that chocolate mousse cake that Sarah Jane gave us the other day but, when I came in here, there was this loud boom and smoke coming from the kitchen. There was this pink and orange ooze everywhere and it stunk. Cam and Zoe stood up and told me what happened and I was going to see what went wrong when you came in and yelled at me."

"I didn't yell."

"Not with your voice but your mind was yelling at me. I don't make all the mess around here, you know."

"What about the vacuum cleaner?"

"It wasn't working right."

"Yeah, and now it can pick up dirt from across the street!" Frankie teased but he only pouted and looked at the ceiling.

"What about the toaster? That wasn't my fault!"

"Yeah, you're right. That was Cam's fault. But he was three when he did that. You were the one that painted the walls in the kitchen with a banana and kiwi smoothie."

"That was because I forgot to put the lid on the blender. It was Adam who broke the dishwasher in the TARDIS."

"When did he do that?" she asked and he gave her a scared look.

"Well, you remember the time we had to buy all new plates, silverware, cups and bowls?"

"Yeah, but you said you were the one that broke the dishwasher."

"Well, Adam was still human then and you looked like you were going to kill someone. Better me then him," he said and Frankie smiled, sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Remind me to give him a wedgie," she said and he nodded.

"I guess we better go see what they're up to," he said when Frankie crawled on top of him and slid her hands under his shoulders. She started kissing him when he moved his head back then smiled. "Or we could go upstairs."

Getting off of him, Frankie held her hand out as he took her hand and she helped him off the couch. Hushing her, they walked to the stairs then snuck upstairs and Frankie softly giggled.

The auditorium was crowded while Zoe and Cam stood at the table and the volcano softly puffed little rings of smoke into the air. Cameron had fixed the detonator for them and a small village sat around the base of the volcano. The houses were made of stone with columns going around the houses and a small marketplace was near the end of the village. There were miniature people dressed in togas and sandals and ox drawn carts stood on the small cobblestone streets. There were also some chickens in cages and some pigs were tied to the poles of one stall in the marketplace. There were four other volcano projects in the room as well as several robots, seven bottle rockets, some mazes, a few plant growing tables and five solar systems displays. The judges walked by the tables as they looked at the projects and Theta sighed, looking at his hands.

"You ok, Love?" Frankie asked as she videotaped Cam and Zoe puttering around their table and Theta nodded.

"Just remembering the science project fairs from when I was a kid. I always had the best projects but something always happened to it. I swear that my Koschei sabotaged them but never had any proof. Top it off was the fact that my father never came but would lecture me for hours about losing and how stupid I was," he sighed as she placed the video camera down and hugged him.

"Yeah, my dad was the same, Mate. He never came to see my projects either. Then again, I usually had the winning project. He would just snort and ask if they had bigger trophies. I told him they did but that was for bigger projects. He was really pissed off when I entered a working miniature nuclear plant for my senior project," Cameron said and Theta's eyes went wide.

"Where did you get the radioactive material?" he asked

"I knew a guy who knew a guy who…" Cameron said and Theta nodded. "Got suspended from school and nearly went to jail. My dad had some powerful friends and the charges were dropped. But, all in all, it was worth it to see the look on my teacher's face when I told him what it was."

"His teacher had a stroke," Frankie whispered and Cameron shrugged. Jamie and Jenna were sitting with their family behind Theta, Cameron and Frankie and Jamie looked at the other projected in the room. He looked at the robots when he tapped Theta's shoulder then pointed at the large robot standing to their left.

"Look at the size of…" Jamie said and Theta turned his head toward him, softly laughing.

"That is getting really old," he teased and Jamie smiled.

"Aye, but I cannae resist saying it," Jamie said with a wink and Theta nodded. They watched the judges as the judges listened to Zoe explain how they made the volcano when Cameron got an idea and closed his eyes. He knew the placements of the miniatures when the miniatures started moving and the judges looked at them then at each other.

"_How are they doing that?" _Zoe thought.

"_I don't know," _Cam said then looked at Cameron and blinked. _"I think Uncle Cameron fell asleep."_

"_No, I think he's doing it with his telekinetic powers! Let's see what happens when we set the volcano off."_

"_But isn't this cheating? No one else has moving miniatures."_

"_Aye, they dinnae but I ken that Melissa Rogers' daddy built her volcano for her an' Billy Carlson's uncle bought his robot for him."_

"_It's still cheating."_

"_Do you want the trophy or nae?"_

"_Yeah, I do."_

"_Then let's light it up!" _Zoe thought with a smile and Cam smiled back. The judges chatted when Cam pushed the buttons and the volcano started growling. The miniatures stopped moving as they looked at the volcano and the smoke grew thicker, causing the smell of sulfur and brimstone to fill the air. Suddenly a loud boom fill the air as the pink and orange ooze ran down the sides of the volcano and the miniatures ran around, trying to find places to hide. The ooze spread across the village as the miniatures waved their arms then slumped in the ooze and several of the buildings became buried in the ooze. The judges looked at each other then wrote on the clipboards and Cam and Zoe looked at Cameron, who opened his eyes then smiled at them.

"_Thanks, Uncle Cam," _Cam thought after setting up a privacy block and Cameron winked at him.

"I don't understand why you are so mad!" Cameron said while Frankie paced back and forth and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You used your powers so Cam and Zoe's volcano would beat the others!" she half shouted and he flopped down on the bed, looking at the ceiling.

"Sis, everyone cheats at these things."

"That isn't the point! We wanted them to win based on their own merit!"

"But a volcano with a tiny village isn't much if it doesn't have a little action to it."

"It's still cheating!"

"Fine, give back the bloody trophy then. It's still going to make them feel like losers," he said when Frankie sat next to him on the bed and stroked his hair.

"Is that how you feel?" she asked and he looked up at her.

"Yeah, sometimes I do. Think about it. All this knowledge in my head and I get sucked into working for the Master," he sighed and she nodded.

"But, if you hadn't then I wouldn't have met Theta, became a Time Lady, got married, came here, had Cam and got reunited with my snotty brother," she said and he smiled.

"True, but it still hurts, you know. Why didn't Dad like me?"

"Maybe he was jealous of how smart you were."

"Or he might have been jealous that I got more action then he did when he was in school. I was very popular!" Cameron said with a grin and she laughed.

"You still are," she teased and he shrugged.

"Do you think I'll ever find the right person to fall in love with?"

"You never know," she said then patted his chest, got off the bed and left the room. Sighing, Cameron looked at the ceiling then smiled, got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"So I have to give it back?" Cam asked while looking at the large trophy sitting on his desk and Theta nodded.

"Yep," Theta said, popping the "p".

"But no one knows Uncle Cam was the one moving the miniatures."

"You know," Theta said as he tapped Cam's forehead and Cam sighed, nodding his head. "Besides, it's the right thing to do. Uncle Jamie told Zoe the same thing and she agreed to give the trophy back and tell them what happened."

"You're right, I can't keep it," Cam said when Theta picked the trophy up and walked to the door. Turning, he looked at his dejected son when he looked at the trophy and smiled.

"Cam?" he asked and Cam looked at him.

"What?"

"Trophy or not, I am very proud of you!" he said with a wink then left the room and Cam smiled.


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter Sixty Four

The Doctor lay beside his wife and daughter monitoring their minds, making sure they were both at ease while they slept. Outside his door, he could hear laughter and talking from his other family members and occasionally someone stuck their head in to say hello or say something but they were brief after they noticed Rain and Namid were asleep. While he was resting with them, his phone rang and he carefully got up from the bed before retrieving it from his pocket.

"Yeah?" he said in a hushed voice as he headed for the door.

"Doctor?" Jack said. "Is everything okay, why are you whispering?"

"Everything's fine," the Doctor said in his normal voice. "I was lying in bed in a guest bedroom with Rain and Namid and they were both asleep when you called so I kept my voice down until I got outside in the hall."

"Oh. I'm glad they're okay. I'm glad Mi-mi is safe."

"Yeah, me too."

"Don't know if Nelak told you but he phoned me and told me to talk to Xashon and then phoned again to tell me she may not be needed."

"He told me," the Doctor said.

"Well, I went and spoke to her anyway and she was upset as you might expect and she's going to make a trip to Mackus to speak to the royal family and open up diplomatic and trading ties with our planet and also to make sure that Zod is taken care of like Thelopian promised."

"Good. Because the last thing I want is for him to go free. But I think Thelopian will keep her promise," the Doctor said.

"Are you coming back home after this? Nelak said you're gonna erase all of this from Doc and the children's minds."

"Yeah, I am so be careful and don't bring it up around them ever again."

"I won't."

"As for coming back home, we might briefly but I promised the children I'd take them somewhere to relax after all this and they wanna go to the circus."

"Ooo, can I come?"

"Um, I s'pose so."

"Yan and I were planning a little holiday and the circus sounds nice. I promise we won't cause trouble," Jack said.

"You better not," the Doctor teased.

"Oh, and Rain's father wants her to call."

"I know, Alan told us."

"Well, hell, there's nothing for me to say to you then," Jack said as the Doctor laughed.

He glanced down when he felt a tug on his trouser leg and saw Sokanon.

"Who's that, Daddy?" she said, pointing at the phone.

"Uncle Jack."

Sokanon held out her hand.

"Soki wants to say something to ya," the Doctor said to Jack.

He handed the phone to her as Alan came up behind her.

"Yes, Soki?" Jack said.

"Eat lots of fiber and make lots of poo, it's healthy. Bye now!"

Alan laughed as she thrust the phone back at her father and ran off.

"Who's that?" Alan asked.

"Jack," the Doctor said, putting the phone back to his ear.

"Wow, I'll be sure to take her advice then," Jack said after chuckling. "Actually, I had a good bowel movement this morning so I'm set."

"Okay, I really didn't wanna know that, Harkness," the Doctor said as Jack laughed. "If you want to come with us though, we'll come back home before setting off in search of a circus."

"Rose. I need to get Rose and Chris anyway so they can come too," Alan said softly and the Doctor nodded.

"Well, make sure that the circus has an elephant parade. Yan and I love elephant parades."

"Sure, Jack, I'll ask the TARDIS to find you an elephant parade," the Doctor said dryly as Alan snickered.

He looked over when Alan tapped him on the shoulder.

"Guard just came up to me, the banquet's in an hour," he said to him

"Thanks, Brother. Listen, Jack, I gotta go. We have an hour till we meet with Thelopian and her parents and we need time to get ready."

"Okay, see ya when ya get back. Have a nice meal," Jack said.

The Doctor thanked him and hung up the phone. He looked at the door as he put the mobile back in his pocket.

"Time to wake up my family," he said to Alan.

"Shall I find a trumpet and blow it in Rainy's ear?"

"Not unless you wanna get hit."

"Why not, already been slapped today by certain unmentionable people," Alan said, giving him a pointed look.

The Doctor smirked and lightly slapped him again as Sokanon was walking by. Alan was about to say something when suddenly Sokanon slapped him in the ass as hard as she could and ran off giggling. The Doctor bent over laughing at the shocked look on Alan's face.

"Excuse me; I'll go help Sokanon get ready for supper. I'm sure she needs lots of help!" Alan said before he turned and ran after her.

The Doctor chuckled and went into his room. He walked over to Rain's side and kissed her on the cheek before he put his lips to her ear.

"Love, we have an hour before the banquet," he said softly.

Rain stirred. She turned her head, opened her eyes and accepted her husband's kiss before she looked at Namid and gently shook her.

"Mi-mi, baby, time to get up."

"Mmmm?" Namid muttered in her sleep.

The Doctor projected an image of himself as a rooster with his head stuck on the cock's body. The DoctorRooster flapped over to a fencepost, perched on it and crowed. Namid giggled at that and slowly opened her eyes.

"Gotta get up, baby. It's almost time to eat," Rain said, stroking her hair.

"Okay," she said as both parents helped her sit up.

Just then, Sokanon raced into the room giggling with Alan following right behind her.

"What's wrong?" Alan said, cornering her in the corner," smack bottom don't feel good? Well, tough noogies, you're gonna get more of them so I can avenge my red and blistered bum."

They laughed as he grabbed her. Sokanon tried to wriggled out of his grasp as he smacked her bottom.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" he said as Sokanon laughed. "Feels uncomfortable? Bet it does!"

Namid laughed. She crawled off the bed and ran over to the commotion. Sokanon laughed when she smacked Alan hard on the bum.

"Oho, you too?" he said, letting go of Sokanon as Namid ran back to the bed. "I'll take you all on…and don't you think about it, mister," he said when Chaska ran into the room and made a beeline for him. "I figured you'd be in here sooner or later and I have my eye on you and…OI!" he yelled when Sokanon smacked his butt, ran for the bed and dived into it.

"Problems, Brother," the Doctor said sweetly while Rain sniggered.

"Yes, these miscreants are…"

The girls laughed when their brother ran up and smacked him hard on the butt before running out the door.

"Brother, can I sell your children to a lab for medical experiements?"

"Nah," the Doctor said.

"Blast. I could have made me some cheddar doin' that."

"Could you be a dear and get my son in here though, Mister Makin' Cheddar?" the Doctor said. "I want to speak to all of them at once.

"If I can move, seeing as how my bum is blistered and raw now."

"Boo hoo," Sokanon said as Namid giggled.

"You're gonna think boo hoo when I stuff you in a pillowcase and chuck you in the dryer for a spin," Alan said as he walked out the door.

"Yeah, yeah," Sokanon said. "I'm reeeeeally scared."

She looked up at her father who was leaning over her.

"Howdy, Daddy."

"Howdy, Bum Slapper," he said as his daughters giggled. "Busy today?"

"Very. I think I hurt my hand because Uncle Alan's bum is hard."

She squealed when the Doctor tickled her armpits. While he was doing that, Chaska came in with Alan.

"I didn't hit him," Chaska protested, pointing at Alan.

Rain laughed when the Doctor gave him a shocked look.

"That's not why I called you in here. Blimey, don't jump to conclusions, son. You're not in trouble," he said. "Come and sit on the bed."

Chaska came in and sat down on the end of the bed.

"Now, I need to fill you in on a few things because this is a formal dinner and there are things you have to do to show respect for a King or Queen when they enter a room. So, I'm going to tell you what I expect of you, yeah?"

They nodded and the Doctor spoke to them while Rain went to use the bathroom and get ready. Alan walked out into the hallway and went down to his room where Namor, Nelak, Awinita and Dex were chatting.

"Guess what?" he said to them.

"You got a lobotomy and you're not a sane person."

They laughed when Alan eyed Awinita.

"Will ignore that remark," he said as Awinita grinned and shrugged. "Nope. The Doctor spoke to Jack and apparently he's coming with us when we take the children out on holiday."

"Here we go, another caravan on our holiday," Nelak said.

"Yeah but be fair, I think everyone was shaken by what happened to Mi-mi and they want to spend time with her," Alan said with a shrug. "I know I would. Are you coming with us, Namor? I mean, you're welcome to seeing as how you were a part of this."

"I'd like to. It sounds fun," he said. "Never went traveling with the Doctor before."

Doc patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, you were a simple botanist and landscaper and the next thing you know you've been kidnapping and getting the crap beat outta ya. Welcome to the world of the Doctor," he said as everyone laughed.

"Our esteemed Doctor is currently in with the wee ones lecturing them on how to behave so they don't embarrass us and start an intergalactic incident between our two planets. And Namid and Sokanon smacked my bum and now it hurts."

"I would ask if you want us to kiss it but you'll take that literally," Awinita said dryly.

"Yes, I would," Alan said with a wink as Awinita gave him a playful swat on the arm.

The guard came back to get them and he escorted them down to the lower level into a cavernous banquet hall. There were more tapestries on the walls of mythological figures and creatures and a couple of paintings of people similar to the one in the Doctor's room. The table was twenty foot long and five foot across and made of a dark cherry wood with matching high back chairs. At the end of the table were two high backed chairs made of solid gold that had carved ivy running along the back along with the crest they saw on Thelopian's robe. Both chairs had red velvet cushions in them while the wooden ones had bare seats. The dishes were made of bone china, white with purple around the rims and golden goblets that had the ivy and crest running around them. Behind each of the plates was a small card indicating where everyone sat. They noticed that Sokanon and Namid's places each had a small porcelain figure of a dancing girl clad in sheer purple pants, bra and cape with gold trim. She carried a tambourine and was dancing with an ecstatic look on her face. Chaska had a porcelain soldier that was clad in black trousers, red military jacket with a blue sash running across it and a black helmet similar to the ones the Germans wore in World War One. The soldier held a laser rifle in his hands and he had a fierce look on his face.

"Wow, you're raking in the gifts today," Awinita said as she helped Namid sit at her place.

The others sat down around them with one place reserved next to the throne for Thelopian. The guard who escorted them walked over and took his place beside the door. The Doctor showed Namid what her figurine looked like and she touched it as she stared at the image in her mind's eye. She was sitting between the Doctor and Doc while Rain sat on the Doctor's left side and Sokanon and Chaska sat across from them. Nelak and Awinita sat on Sokanon's left while Dex sat on Chaska's right. Alan and Namor sat across from each other on the end of the group. While they waited, two servants came in with a decanter of wine and a pitcher of milk. They gave milk to the children and wine to the adults and left the decanter and pitcher on the table before they left. Ten minutes later, another servant came in and blew a fanfare on a trumpet.

"Up, children," the Doctor said as everyone rose to their feet.

The three children pushed back their chairs and bowed deeply along with the others as Thelopian entered along with her father, King Tyno and mother, Queen Euplasia. Both sovereigns had white gold hair like their daughter but Thelopian was slightly taller than both of them. The king was plump with a full beard and the same piercing blue eyes as his daughter. He wore a purple tunic with matching trousers, black boots and a golden robe trimmed with white fur. The Queen wore a matching purple floor length gown with a matching gown and a tiara on her head similar to the one Thelopian gave Sokanon. Thelopian was also dressed the same as her mother and all three of them approached the table with a regal air about them. Everyone kept bowing until they sat down and then everyone else sat. Tyno looked at the three identical men.

"Okay, which one was the Doctor that rescued my kingdom three years ago?" he asked.

"That would be me, Your Majesty," the Doctor said. "I'm the one wearing the brown suit. These are my brothers, Alan and Doc."

"Our daughter filled us in on who you are and your relation to each other," Tyno said. "She also informed us of the situation and we must offer our apologies for what our advisor has done. Zod has always been an ambitious man and we fear that he was using you and your family as a way to advance himself. We can assure you that he will be punished once the full account of his deeds has been brought to light."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the Doctor said.

"Now, on the matter of the engagement. We are sorry that you are not interested in our daughter but she has already informed us that she isn't interested in you. She has…another suitor in mind."

They notice Thelopian blush deeply at that.

"Now…which one of you is Namid?"

"Me," Namid said, raising her hand.

"Little one, we also must apologize to you for what happened. We are deeply saddened and troubled that Zod would go to such lengths and we are glad you're safe."

"Thank you," Namid said as the Doctor patted her shoulder.

"Our daughter told us she gave you some gifts so we have done the same and we hope you and your brother and sister like them."

"I do, they're cool," Namid said.

"Yes, thank you," Sokanon said.

Tyno and Euplasia smiled when Chaska also offered his thanks. Euplasia looked at the Doctor.

"As a mother, we are also disgusted at what our advisor tried to do to you and your family," she said.

_Daddy, why are they talking like that? Who's we?_ Namid thought to the Doctor.

He chuckled inside her mind.

_There are a lot of rulers who do this, Mi-mi, they refer to themselves in the plural and call themselves We instead of I, it's just a formality they use. I doubt they talk this way to each other in private, _he thought back.

"We also offer our apologies for this and hope this does not sour relations between our two planets," Euplasia went on.

"Not at all, Your Majesty," the Doctor said. "In fact, I believe a good friend on our High Council is coming here to open up diplomatic and trading ties."

"We will look forward to that," Tyno said. "But for now, let us eat; we are starving as I'm sure you are."

He clapped his hands loudly and everyone watched as the servants began to bring the food into the banquet hall.


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter Sixty Five

After eating, they thanked the Queen and King before they were escorted back to the skimmer so they could retrieve the TARDIS. On the way there, Rain talked to her father and told him what happened before letting him talk to Namid.

"Lord, what a day, I'm glad you're taking us to the circus, Bro," Awinita said. "I could do with some relaxation."

"But first, we have to go get my wife and child because it wouldn't be a party without them," Alan said.

"Yeah, I want Chris here so I don't have to talk to my sisters all night," Chaska said as Sokanon stuck her tongue out at him.

They walked into the room and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the ship. The Doctor pulled out his key and opened the door. As everyone was filing in, he heard his name being called and looked over his shoulder. Thelopian was coming into the room.

"Just wanted to say a last goodbye," she said, walking up to him. "I hope you'll come back to see us. You and your family are welcome here."

"Thanks. We'll come back sometime. We have a busy schedule going around the cosmos," the Doctor replied. "But we'll definitely come back. And thank you for your hospitality."

"Thank you for giving us a chance and not assuming I was the one behind Zod's decision."

"Nah, I learned early in life that you should never assume anything," he said.

She gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Too bad you didn't look like this back then, I might have been more adamant about keeping my betrothal," she said with a wink. "However, as my father said, I have another that I love far, far more than you so Rain can have you."

The Doctor grinned at that. She waved and stepped back as he went inside. She stood and watched as the TARDIS dematerialized in front of her.

By the time he set the coordinates and got back to his bedroom on the TARDIS, Rain and Namid were done speaking with John.

"How is he?" the Doctor said, sitting down beside them.

"He's fine. He's just relieved that she's okay," she said, stroking Namid's back.

The Doctor kissed Namid's cheek.

"Rainbow, if you want me to take your memories out, I can do it now," he said to her.

"Will it hurt?"

"Not at all. I'm going to put you to sleep. A deep sleep where you won't dream and while you're doing that, I'll be in your mind getting rid of everything that's happened to you today."

Namid gave him a dubious look.

"You gonna see me naked?"

Rain laughed as the Doctor stared at her with shock.

"I don't know, how often have you been nude?" he said with amusement. "Do you parade around your bedroom nude?"

"No."

"Well, then I s'pose I won't be seeing very many memories of you being nude, if any. I'm not gonna poke around, I just wanna find the memories from today, eliminate them and go back out."

"Will I remember you?"

"Mi-mi, I'm not erasing that much," he said as Rain laughed harder. "I'm not erasing your entire mind. You knew who I was before today, yeah?"

"Yes."

"Well, then."

"Just checking before I do this in case I have to sue ya afterward."

Rain was now shaking with silent laughter as the Doctor stared at her quietly. He looked at his wife.

"Keep an eye on this one. She's litigation happy," he said as Namid giggled.

He kissed Namid and had her lie down in their bed after pulling down the covers. He tucked her in and kissed her forehead.

"I'm gonna put you to sleep first so you'll just feel very sleepy and you'll drift off," he explained. "And I promise if I see you nude I'll zoom past it."

Namid giggled and kissed him again. Rain put her hand on top of her head as the Doctor put his fingers to her temples and closed his eyes. Rain watched as her daughter's eyelids grew heavy and she drifted off to sleep.

Once she was deep in sleep, the Doctor began to dive into her memories. He quickly found the memories he needed since they were fairly recent. But instead of drawing them out and deleting them from her consciousness, he dwelt a moment and observed from her point of view, shivering inwardly as he saw only blackness and heard his daughter screaming for help in the darkness. He had been blinded before in his lives but only temporarily. He had never been through something as terrifying as what his daughter experienced while having no eyesight and living it through her chilled him. He marveled that his daughter came away from it as calm as she did and he knew that she had a deep well of inner strength that her blindness had given her. He listened a moment more before he could no longer bear it and he began to isolate and delete the memories from today, going back to earlier in the day before the kidnapping. After he had erased all the memories he could find that would traumatize her, he began building up a false memory that she had been home all day playing with her brother and sisters without anything significant occurring before going to bed. That way when she woke, she would just assume it was another ordinary day. It was the same technique he would use on his other children and his brother.

Finishing with his task, he was about to back out of her mind when out of curiosity he ventured into her dreams and chose one to look at that pertained to him. He smiled when he saw him and her floating along in the sky like balloons while birds flew past and the sun shone down on them. For a few minutes, the floating continued, then his dream daughter looked around when clouds darkened and a thunderstorm started.

"Oh no," she said to his dream image, "Our lovely day is gonna be ruined."

The Doctor giggled when his dream self screamed out, "LEAVE! I COMMAND YOU!" and the storm stopped. The clouds zoomed away and they floated along through the bright, sunny day. Then out of the blue, he saw Alan come up behind them in the basket of a rainbow colored balloon. He caught up to them and looked at them.

"Ha ha, I'm going faster than you are," he said as he floated past them and headed out of view.

The real Doctor snickered out loud at that.

"Yeah, that would be something Alan would do," he said aloud.

He laughed harder when the Doctor put Namid on his back and sped up. As they went past a stunned dream Alan, he stuck his tongue out and screamed, "Eat my dust, Brother!' The Doctor chuckled again before backing out completely from her mind. He took his hands away and opened his eyes to see his bemused wife.

"What would be something Alan would do?" she said the moment his eyes would open.

The Doctor told her about the dream and Rain rolled her eyes.

"Even in Namid's dreams, Alan has to barge in without notice," she said as he chuckled. "But it was a very beautiful dream. I like that you have the power to command storms to leave just by screaming at them. That must come in handy."

"Oh yeah, why do you think we always have sunny days for picnics?" he said. "But now we need to put our little girl to bed and call in the next subject."

He pulled back the covers and gathered Namid in his arms. Rain followed him down the hall to Namid and Sokanon's room. Sokanon was on her bed examining her figurine when they came inside.

"Do you want to go next, my treasure?" the Doctor said to her.

"Does it hurt?"

"No, why does everyone think it hurts? It's completely painless and afterwards, you'll have a nice long kip before we go to the circus in the morning."

Sokanon nodded. She watched while they undressed Namid and put her Little Mermaid nightdress on her. They took off her jellies; put her in her bed and both of them kissed her. Then the Doctor walked over to Sokanon.

"Get your nightdress and get ready for bed, yeah?" he said.

Sokanon nodded. She opened her drawer in her chest of drawers, pulled out a Toy Story nightdress with Jessie the Cowgirl on it and took it to the bathroom. When she came back with it on, she got under her covers. The Doctor and Rain kissed her and Rain sat with her while the Doctor went into her mind and took out the memories. Then after he was done with her, he went into Chaska's room and had him get in his pajamas before he did the same thing to him. Then he went and found Doc. He was sitting with Namor in the kitchen.

"Brother, I've finished taking the memories out of the children's minds. Do you still want me to do it to you?"

Doc nodded and Namor wished him good night before he got up and followed him. He paused long enough to enter Namid's room and give her a good night kiss before he went on to his room. He also put on his pajamas and got in his bed. Rain sat at the end of the bed while the Doctor entered his mind, put him to sleep and found the memories he was looking for. After he erased them, he paused a moment and then went further into his memories in search of some of the ones he had when he was the Valeyard. He found a few of the more disturbing ones and winced when he watched his beloved brother killing and torturing innocents. He hesitated a moment and then brought his brother up just enough out of deep sleep so he could speak with his subconscious.

Brother, I finished taking out the memories I promised to take out but I can also take out a few of your memories as the Valeyard to help with your healing. Would you like that?

Yes, please, you have my permission, he heard Doc say.

The Doctor smiled at that and sent his brother back into a deep sleep before going back in and deleting the most disturbing memories he could find. He left some of the memories intact since it was as the Valeyard that he met Namid and he didn't want him to forget why he had adopted her as his own. He lingered a moment more and then with his task done, he brought himself out of his mind and opened his eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief as Rain squeezed his shoulder. He drew the covers up to his brother's shoulders and took his wife's hand as they went out of the room and headed back towards the console room.


	66. Chapter 66

A/N: Jeelie is Scottish for jelly.

Chapter Sixty Six

"Daddy?" seven year old Zoe asked as she walked down the hallway and went around the corner. She liked the inside of their TARDIS, with its grand hallways made to look like stone and wooden beams in the corners and the McCrimmon family crest was painted on the shield that hung on the walls. She often felt like a princess in a magic castle and the soft sound of bagpipes floated through the air. Walking through the archway that led to the gallery, she saw her father, Jamie, sitting on a wooden stool and a canvass sat on a large wooden stand.

Jamie had learned how to paint a long time ago in the life he led after the accident that stripped half of his mind into a fob watch but he didn't feel much like painting after his mind had been restored.

"_Why do ye want me tae learn how tae paint?" _he has asked his wife, Rosealie, when she suggested he take it up as something to do while he was healing.

"_Mebbe it will help ye remember," _she had told him but he never did paint anything that reminded him of his life before the accident. He did become good at sketching and painting her and their children and had some paintings hanging on the walls of their house.

"_Och, that's lovely," _Rosealie had told him when he showed her the painting he had done of her and he had shyly smiled at her.

"_Ye're just saying it's good so I wonae get frustrated," _he has told her but she denied it and that was the first time she kissed him.

"Ooo, is that Mommy?" Zoe asked when Jamie blinked and looked down at her.

"Aye, that's Mommy," Jamie said as he cleaned the brush and placed the brush on the table to his left. Carefully, he picked her up then sat her on his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

"That's really good, Daddy," she said and he softly laughed, kissing the top of her head.

"Och, you're just saying that."

"No, it's really good!"

"Well then, I thank you kindly for your kind words," he said and she leaned against his chest, barely feeling his hearts beating against her back.

"I didnae ken that you knew how tae paint."

"Aye, I used tae paint a lot before I met your mommy."

"Was that when you were married tae Rosealie?" she asked, looking up at him. Jamie and Jenna thought it was a good idea to tell the twins most of his past and mentioned that he had been married to Rosealie.

"Aye, it was her idea for me tae learn how," he said and she started playing with his fingers.

"I still dinnae believe that you lived in another time," she said as he arched an eyebrow at her and pouted, sticking his lower lip out.

"Would you like me tae prove it tae you?" he asked.

"But Uncle Doctor said we cannae go into our own timelines or it will mess everything up," Zoe said when a cold chill moved through Jamie and he shivered. "Are you ok, Daddy?"

"I'm nae sure," Jamie said and she sat up, looking at him.

"Should I go get Aunt Martha?" she asked as her voice echoed in his ears and he blinked, shaking his head side to side. "Daddy, you're scaring me."

Not saying a word, he picked her up then left the room and headed down the hallway. She placed her head on his shoulder when he walked into the control room and placed her on the wooden bench. It was their version of the jump seat and he walked around the console, pushing buttons, moving levers, flipping switches then set the co ordinance and pulled the main lever down. He had never flown the TARDIS by himself as he held onto the console and the TARDIS vanished.

(Theta's universe)

Inverness, Scotland.

The soft clicking sound filled the air while a long stick clicked on the cobblestones and twenty-five year old Hamish McCrimmon softly smiled while feeling the sunlight on his face. It was rare for him to feel it since it was usually cold and misty but he was enjoying his stroll and nodded when people called to him. Being born blind, he wasn't expected to come to much but his parents never treated him like a cripple and encouraged him to be as independent as possible.

"Ack!" he gasped when someone grabbed him from behind and giggled. Coming around to his front and kissing his lips, Lucy McCullen-McCrimmon looked at her husband and brushed some of the light brown fringe from his eyes. She watched as his left hand rose up to touch her face and he smiled, kissing her back. "Dinnae do that."

"Why, cannae I kiss my husband?" Lucy asked and Hamish grinned.

"Aye, but only when we're alone an' we're nae alone," he said and she looked at the people staring at them.

"How did ye ken that we're being watched?"

"It's way too quiet," he said with a grin and she softly laughed.

"Then they should be on their way an' nae be looking at us!" she shouted and two women snorted, walking away.

"Och, ye're gonna get us in trouble," he said with a laugh and she scooped her arm around his arm.

"I'm nae scared of them. Besides, they wouldnae dare lay a hand on ye," she said as he rolled his sightless eyes and shook his head. Suddenly his sensitive ears heard a soft wheezing and grinding sound and he brushed her arm away, walking in a circle. "What's wrong?"

"Dinnae ye hear that?" he said and she looked around, trying to see what he was hearing. She knew that he heard things better than she did and gently took hold of his hand. "It's coming from that direction." Turning to his left, he tapped the stick on the ground and they walked down the cobblestones.

The TARDIS materialized when the doors opened and Jamie led Zoe outside, closing and locking the doors behind them. The TARDIS changed into a large hay wagon fill with hay as she smiled and he patted her head. Jamie was dressed in a tan linen shirt, a black leather belt, a pair of brown trousers, white socks and brown work boots. He felt a bit naked without his sporran and kilt but he knew that this was after the Battle of Culloden and Scottish men didn't wear them anymore. He did have his dirk hidden in his sock and he placed the battered brown cap on his head. Zoe was wearing a tan dress, white socks and brown shoes and she watched Jamie placed the imager around his neck, tucking it into his shirt. Jamie was now six feet one inch tall with red hair and green eyes and had a tightly muscular build. Holding his hand out, he smiled at her and Zoe took his hand. Jamie thought the imager would help them walk around the city without causing too many stares and they started walking down the alleyway.

"Are ye sure it came from here?" Lucy's voice asked when Jamie stopped and hid Zoe behind him.

"Aye, I'm sure," a familiar voice said as Jamie's hearts sped up and he watched as his blind son started walking toward them and the stick clicked on the cobblestones.

"_Daddy, why is he using that stick?" _Zoe thought to him and Jamie sighed.

"_It's because he's blind," _Jamie thought.

"_How can you tell from here?"_

"_Because, Jeelie Bean, that's my son," _he thought and Zoe's eyes went wide. Hamish and Lucy walked closer when Lucy stopped and Hamish turned his head toward her.

"What's wrong?" he asked and she hushed him.

"Someone's there," she whispered and he blinked his sightless eyes. Letting go of her arm, he slowly moved closer and she gasped. "Hamish, no, dinnae get any closer!"

"Heh, they try anything an' they'll taste my stick!" he said as he twirled the stick around like a battle staff and Zoe was amazed that he didn't smack himself with it.

"_How did he do that, Daddy?" _she thought and Jamie smiled.

"_With a lot of practice," _Jamie thought and Zoe giggled.

"Hold, we mean ye no harm," Jamie said as he held his hand up but sighed, forgetting he couldn't see him.

"Identify yerself, Stranger," Hamish said, placing the stick down.

"I am Robert Frazer Grey," Jamie said as Zoe looked up at him and frowned.

"_That's nae your name, Daddy," _she thought.

"_I cannae tell him my real name, Jeelie Bean," _he thought and she nodded.

"And I'm Zoe Victoria Grey," Zoe said as Hamish walked closer and tapped the end of the stick against her toes.

"What are ye an' your bairn doing here, Sir?" he asked and Jamie smiled.

"We are new in town an' lost our way while looking for the inn," Jamie said as Lucy walked closer and he fought the urge to smile at his daughter-in-law.

"Where are ye from, Sir?" she asked.

"We're from a village north of here. I recently lost my wife an' land so I came down here, looking for work."

"An' how old are you?" Lucy asked as she knelt down and looked at Zoe.

"I'm seven years old," Zoe said when Lucy smiled then stood up and looked at Jamie. Lucy moved back as Hamish walked closer and held his hand out toward Zoe's face. Taking his hand like she did with Namid, she led his hand toward her face and he moved his fingers, feeling the curves and dips of her face.

"What color is yer hair?" he asked.

"It's brown," Zoe said and Lucy looked at Jamie's red hair.

"She had her mother's hair," he said sofly and Lucy nodded.

"Ye feel like a pretty wee lass," Hamish said when he walked to Jamie and Jamie's hearts went faster. The one problem with an imager is if someone touched the person wearing it, they feel the person under the illusion. Holding his breath, he gently took Hamish's hand and guided it toward his face. He already registered Hamish's reaction to him touching his hand and prayed that he didn't make a mistake. Hamish gently moved his fingers across Jamie's face when he moved closer and placed his lips to Jamie's ear.

"Pa-pa?" he whispered and Jamie felt his hearts cracking.

"Aye," Jamie whispered and Hamish nodded, moving back a bit.

"Ah, I seem tae remember a Robert Grey from when my father took me tae the north on a trade run when I was a lad," he said with a wink and Jamie smiled. The one thing Hamish wasn't was stupid and knew how to play along when someone had a secret they needed to keep.

"What is yer name then, Friend?" Jamie asked.

"I am Hamish William McCrimmon," Hamish said and Jamie grinned.

"Hammy McCrimmon?" he asked with a shocked look and Hamish nodded. "Bless me, it's been years!"

"Ye ken him then, Ham?" Lucy asked, looking confused.

"Aye," Hamish said with a nod of his head and Lucy slid her arm around his. "Robbie, this is my wife, Lucy."

"A pleasure," Jamie said with a bow and Zoe and Lucy giggled.

"Lucy, Love, if it's alright with ye, can I go show Robbie where the inn is?" Hamish asked with a pout.

"Of course," Lucy said when she kissed Hamish' cheek then nodded a goodbye to Jamie and Zoe. They watched her walk away when Hamish tapped the stick against Jamie's toes and blinked.

"Ye can start explaining what my father is doing in an alley with a wee lass who isnae his daughter," Hamish asked and folded his arms over his chest.

"She is my daughter but, as to how an' what is going on, ye need tae a leap of faith, aye?" Jamie asked and Hamish sighed, tilting his head to one side.

"What are ye on aboot?" he asked when Jamie took the imager off and handed it to Zoe. Taking Hamish's hand, they walked to the TARDIS when he unlocked the door and Hamish blinked. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe," Jamie said as he opened the doors and led Hamish inside the TARDIS. Hamish almost tripped while going up the ramp when Jamie led him to the wooden bench then sat him down. "Now, ye ken that I dinnae remember much aboot my past…"

"Aye, Mother said ye had an accident an' lost yer memory."

"Well, I got it back an' what I am, who I am, is something of story or dreams. Mebbe it would be better if I showed ye," Jamie sighed and Hamish laughed.

"Dad, there is no way ye can do that. I'm blind."

"Aye, but I can help ye see if ye let me," Jamie said as Hamish blinked then pouted. Thinking for a few seconds, Hamish nodded and Jamie walked closer, placing his fingers against Hamish's temples. The Doctor had taught him how to project his mind into Namid's mind so he could show her something and he hoped Hamish wouldn't pass out when he did the same to him. Gently, he project light then soft shadows and shapes then color until his face appeared before Hamish and Hamish's eyes went wide.

"What sort of magic is this? I can see!" Hamish said and Jamie sensed the confusion and fear in his mind.

"Hush, Lad, it's alright," he said and Hamish blinked.

"Is this what ye really look like?" Hamish asked as he reached out his hand and Jamie nodded. Suddenly Zoe appeared and smiled at him.

"Hi!" she said and he smiled.

"Are ye Zoe?" he asked and she nodded. Looking around, he took in the control room then looked at Jamie and Jamie kissed the top of his head. "What is all this?"

"Remember how I described the inside of the magical blue box in my stories?" Jamie asked and Hamish nodded.

"Are ye telling me that they werenae stories? That this is that box?" Hamish asked and Jamie nodded. Hamish listened as Jamie explained most of who and what he was and Hamish looked at the rotor moving up and down behind the glass. Brushing Jamie's hands away, he reached out as he stood up and used the stick to guide him toward the console. Placing his hand on the console, he used the other hand to reach out toward the glass and felt the rotor moving behind the glass. The TARDIS blew a warm wind over him as he smiled and could faintly hear a voice in his head, assuring him that everything was going to be alright.

"Hammy?" Zoe asked as he softly laughed then turned, tapping the stick on her toes. Kneeling down, he felt her wrapping her arms around his neck and he gently hugged her. Walking closer, Jamie placed his hand on Hamish's shoulder and Zoe looked at Jamie. "Daddy, are we messing things up?"

"No, Jeelie Bean, this was supposed tae happen," Jamie said with a smile and Zoe kissed Hamish's cheek. Holding onto her, Hamish stood up while Zoe wrapped her legs around his waist and Hamish balanced her on his hip.

"So, what do we do now?" Hamish asked.

"Och, Daddy, can the TARDIS fix Hammy's eyes so he can see?" Zoe asked and Hamish looked toward him with the same question in his sightless eyes.

"I wish she could but, no," Jamie said and Hamish sighed.

"Because if ye did that then people would wonder why I can suddenly see, aye?" Hamish asked.

"Aye, that's exactly why," Jamie sighed and Hamish nodded.

"Well, can we have something tae eat an' chat so I can get tae ken my little sister?" Hamish asked and Jamie smiled. After eating a traditional Scottish dinner and talking for what seemed like hours, Jamie led Hamish outside and Zoe was holding Hamish's hand. "Right, here comes the hard part."

"What are ye on aboot? Ye'll see me for Sunday supper," Jamie teased and Hamish sighed.

"Aye, but my wee sister wonae be there," he said, squeezing Zoe's hand.

"Aye, but she will be in yer head an' heart."

"That she will," Hamish said and carefully knelt down. Zoe hugged him then he stood up and Jamie walked to him, hugging him. "I love ye, Daddy."

"And I you," Jamie said then let go and ruffled Hamish's hair. "Now, no telling what happened, aye?"

"Who would believe me?" Hamish teased with a grin and they laughed. They said their goodbyes then Jamie led Zoe into the TARDIS and closed the doors. Hamish backed up when he heard the soft wheezing and grinding sound and the wind blew his hair around his head. Sighing, he tapped the stick three times on the cobblestones when he turned then walked down the alleyway and smiled.

"So, who's that?" Jenna said when she wrapped her arm around Jamie's shoulders and looked at the canvass. On the canvass was a sketch of Hamish and Zoe and Jamie looked at her, placing the charcoal on the table.

"That's my son, Hamish, and Zoe," he said then told her about going to his universe and Zoe meeting Hamish.

"And he never told a soul about it?" she asked with a concerned tone in her voice.

"No," Jamie said, shaking his head.

"But how did you know that you had to go see him?"

"He never told me but Lucy did! I guess a part of this mixed up mind of mine remembered so I had tae go or things, as Zoe would say, would get messed up," Jamie said and Jenna laughed. "And another thing, Zoe was the name of his first born daughter. It wouldnae been if they hadnae met, aye?"

"Aye," Jenna said and gently squeezed his shoulders.

Kissing the back of his head, Jenna left the room and Jamie sat back on the stool and looked at Hamish and Zoe smiling at him. Picking the charcoal up, he started drawing and the soft sound of bagpipes filled the air.


	67. Chapter 67

A/N: The room with the severed heads comes from the Eighth Doctor novel, The Scarlet Empress.

Chapter Sixty Seven

After they took the TARDIS back to their house, they carried everyone inside and took them up to their beds, tucking them in so it would seem they spent the night in the house. Then Alan quickly went home, but they figured a few family members must have been watching the house because as soon as he left, Rain's father, Jackie, Pete, Tim, Wilf, Linus and Samuel came to the house asking about them. Rain explained what happened to them as more people came over to get the latest news and check up on everyone. By the time Alan returned with Rose and Christopher, the house was full.

"Blimey, I'm glad we put the children and Doc into a deep sleep so they don't hear this kerfuffle," Alan commented as he stepped inside the house.

Over time, most of the family members went home except for Alan and his family, Jack and Ianto, Donna and Tara who wanted to accompany everyone else in the morning. They sat up, drinking tea and chatting until it was time for breakfast at which time the Doctor went in to Doc's room and quietly brought him out of his deep sleep into a light sleep so he would wake up naturally. He did the same to the children but went ahead and woke them up while the women helped Rain get breakfast ready downstairs.

"Good morning," he said to them. "Are you ready to go to the circus today?"

"Yeah," Sokanon said, sitting up. "Are we leaving now?"

"Not just yet. I want you lot to get dressed and have breakfast and I have to check the TARDIS databanks for a suitable location. We'll leave soon though, promise."

He kissed Namid's lips and looked into her eyes. Yesterday, she had begun to get a haunted look in her eyes, the same sort of look he saw in his own which terrified him. Today though, there was no trace of it and his hearts soared knowing she would no longer remember her terrifying ordeal. He left the children to get ready and went downstairs, salivating as the smell of frying eggs and bacon hit his nostrils. On the way to his TARDIS, he saw Doc coming out of his room and heading towards the bathroom. He knew as soon as he smelled breakfast cooking, he would wake up since that was his routine.

"Morning, Brother," the Doctor said to him.

"Morning!"

He smiled when he noticed that the darkness around his brother seemed to have lifted considerably and he was glad that he decided to take out some of the Valeyard's darker deeds. He continued on into the garage and headed into his ship.

"Well, old girl, the memories are gone from Doc and the children's minds and they're happy again," he said as the TARDIS rumbled happily. "Now I need you to find me an ideal place to take them to the circus today."

The TARDIS switched on and the Doctor sighed as he slumped down in his jump seat and put his feet up on the rim of the console. He closed his eyes and waited for the TARDIS to let him know she'd found something. While he rested his eyes, he heard movement near him and opened his eyes. He saw Sokanon heading towards the back door. She waved at him.

"Hi, wanna get my t-shirt and Swatch watch since Sissy's wearing her jellies," she said.

"Okey-dokey," the Doctor said.

When the Doctor visited the 1980's, he not only got jellies and an ET for Namid but also a Rainbow Bright t-shirt and a white Swatch watch with red swatch guard for Sokanon and an A-Team shirt and Rubiks Cube for Chaska. He rested his eyes again as Sokanon headed into the back. After a minute, the TARDIS nudged his mind and the Doctor put his feet down.

"Whatcha got for me?" he asked as he went to the monitor.

He read the location and the summary that the TARDIS had written for him and smiled.

"Brilliant, knew I could rely on ya, old girl," he said, patting her rim.

Meanwhile, Sokanon finished putting on her t-shirt and putting her watch on. The t-shirt showed Rainbow Bright riding her horse, Starlight across a rainbow. She put on jean shorts and velcroed up her Nikes before she headed out of her room. As she was walking, she paused at a T junction and looked down the corridor to her right at a couple of doors she had never been in. She and her siblings had explored the time ship in the past, at least the parts the Doctor allowed them to see since he had private rooms that were off limits to them. Figuring they had a few minutes and knowing her father was taking the TARDIS anyway, Sokanon decided to see if there was anything interesting in the rooms she saw before heading up to the console room. She went to the first door and tried it and was delighted when it opened but it soon turned to disappointment when she saw it was a cupboard filled with clothes and books. She read a few of the titles on the book's spines but they were mostly about physics and history and the clothes were old, worn and too large for her so she quickly lost interest and closed the door.

She walked down to the next door, tried it and opened it up. Inside was a stone room that resembled something in a castle dungeon. Intrigued, Sokanon slipped inside. She saw a stone staircase in front of her that led up to a second level above her head. Off to her left was a stained glass window that had the Seal of Rassilon on it. Artificial light streamed into the room but it didn't do much to dispel the gloom. Sokanon frowned when she heard squeaking coming from somewhere above her head. She took a few tentative steps forward and went around the stone staircase. Then, she halted in her tracks when she saw a gruesome sight. In front of a huge stone Seal of Rassilon that had been carved into the floor were nine wooden poles with nine severed heads on top of them. She stared at the deathly pale heads thinking she'd seen the faces somewhere before and then it occurred to her that they were the Doctor's others lives. Curiosity overcame fear and she came forward to take a closer look. The moment she walked into the seal though, the heads suddenly came to life and began to look around. Sokanon stood rooted to the spot with fear while their eyes settled on her.

"I say, who are you?" the fourth Doctor's head said to her.

Sokanon was too stunned to speak back.

"Don't you know who that is, you nitwit?" the second Doctor said. "That's our daughter!"

"Not my daughter, I only had one son and that was quite enough," One said.

"Oh for heaven's sake, you're scaring the child," Eight said.

Eight smiled warmly at Sokanon.

"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you."

"Well, duh, we're sodding heads, you thick git," Nine said.

Eight sighed.

"You know, I always thought you were too caustic for my liking," he said angrily.

"Yeah? Well you were too much of a poncy boy for me," Nine replied.

"I am not poncy!" Eight said.

"Hey!"

Eight and Nine continued to shout at each other while Sokanon tried to get their attention.

"Hey!" Sokanon said, waving her arms at them.

"Excuse me down there; the child is trying to get your attention!" Three said.

He sighed when the two heads ignored him and continued to insult each other. Five smiled warmly at her.

"What do you want…Sokanon, is it?" he said.

"Yeah, that's me. What is this?" Sokanon said, coming nearer to Five.

"We are your father's past lives," Four said.

"Yeah, I know but why are you here?" Sokanon said as Eight and Nine finally stopped arguing and fell silent.

"We provide direction and advice for our current self," One said.

"And believe me; we think he needs it sometimes. The man is far too impetuous and reckless," Six said.

"Well at least he isn't a complete loony like you were," Two said.

"I was not a loony, you…intergalactic tramp!"

"I am not a tramp, you walking eyesore! Least when I strolled around London, my clothes couldn't be seen in California."

Five sighed as Two and Six began arguing with each other.

"I'm sorry, Sokanon, we don't always see eye to eye on things," Five said to her.

"Ain't that the truth," Nine muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Daddy talks to all of you?" Sokanon said.

"Yes," Seven said. "He comes in here often for advice…whether or not he follows it is a matter of conjecture but we do try to guide ourself in the right direction."

"So you know about me and Namid and Chaska?"

"We know about all of you," Eight said. "FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S SACRED, WILL YOU TWO PUT A SOCK IN IT?" he screamed at Two and Six who immediately shut up. "We're not only here but we're also inside your father's mind, guarding and guiding him. This room is for when he needs to speak with us face to face."

Sokanon got a shiver up her spine.

"Will…will Daddy be in here after he dies?" she asked them.

"Well, in a technical sense, we're all your daddy," Five said. "But we know what you mean and yes, once he regenerates, your father's head will appear next to the ninth Doctor down there."

He grimaced when he saw her horror at that.

"But it won't be his real head," he quickly said to her. "These aren't actual heads per say, they're just a fleshly representation of our past lives that the TARDIS made."

"And Daddy will be inside the next Doctor's head?" Sokanon asked, losing her revulsion.

"Yes," Eight said. "As a voice, mind."

"Think of it as his conscience," Six said. "That's basically what we're trying to do is guide him."

"How come you don't have bodies?" Sokanon asked.

All the Doctors except Two snorted.

"That was his doing," One said, jerking his head towards Two. "He requested that we manifest as heads only."

"So you wouldn't go swanning all over my TARDIS!" Two said.

"Your TARDIS? My boy, it was my TARDIS before you were even thought of!" One said which set off another argument.

The other Doctors gave Sokanon a sympathetic smile when she groaned at them.

"Now you know how we feel," Four said. "Constant bickering and whinging all day long, it's a wonder I'm still sane."

"Who says you are?" Nine said.

Four eyed him but decided not to take the bait and spark off another argument. Sokanon was about to ask another question when she suddenly felt someone behind her.

"There you are," Ten said as Sokanon nearly died of fright.

"Daddy," she said, spinning around as One and Two stopped arguing and listened with the others."I'm…I'm sorry. I got dressed and thought I'd go exploring while I waited for you to leave and I found this room and I'm sorry if I wasn't s'posed to come in here but the door was unlocked and…"

"It's alright. It was my fault. I forgot to lock the door the last time but you've done no harm," Ten said, patting her head. "I'm sorry you found this room without me along to explain what it was. Hope you weren't too scared."

"She was at first but we calmed her down," Five said to him. "We explained to her what this room was."

"In between the arguing," Seven said dryly.

"You come in here to talk to them?" Sokanon said.

"On occasion. Sometimes it helps to get advice from myself. I can hear them in my head but I like seeing who I'm speaking with," Ten said. "Anyway, I came to find you to tell you that the TARDIS found a location that has both a circus and a funfair on an Earth colony in the year 4360."

"Cool!" Sokanon said.

"Ah, the circus," Five said with a sigh, "always did love a circus. Lions and tigers and elephants."

"Don't you mean bears instead of elephants?" Eight said.

"I deliberately said elephants so you wouldn't say oh my and make a tired Wizard of Oz joke," he said. "Anyway, I hope you have fun and I'm glad you found us and said hello. We keep badgering your father to bring you back here to meet us in person."

"Well, I didn't think it would sit well with my family if they saw severed heads of my past selves on sticks."

"Nonsense," Two said. "Your family members are strong, they can take it. We get lonely back here, haven't seen anyone but him in donkey's years."

"Yeah, how's Rose," Nine said.

"And Grace?" Eight said.

"And Sarah?" Four said.

"And Jamie?" Two said.

"They're fine," Ten said hurriedly. "I came back here to fetch my daughter because it was time for us to go so if you don't mind, she can visit another day."

"Splendid," Five said. "Bring the others. We wanna say hello to them as well."

"Okay," Sokanon said.

They all said goodbye to her as she waved. Ten took her hand and walked with her out of the room. He looked at her as he closed the door.

"Would you like to go back in there some other time. If so, I'll leave the door unlocked," he said.

"Yeah, that's kinda cool. They're nice to talk to when they don't argue."

The Doctor snorted.

"Love, they argue all the time. In my head as well. It's a miracle I don't have constant chronic headaches from their bickering. Anyway, let's go get the others and begin our fun day, yeah?"

Sokanon nodded eagerly and the Doctor squeezed her hand as they walked back towards the console room.


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter Sixty Eight

Jamie worked on the painting of Hamish and Zoe while Zoe walked into the room and stood next to him.

"Where is his stick?" Zoe asked as she pointed to the painting and he looked at her, smiling.

"Well, he cannae hold you an' his stick at the same time, can he?" he teased then cleaned the brush off and lifted her onto his lap. "You really liked him, eh?"

"Aye," Zoe said as she leaned against his chest and he kissed the top of his head. "Um, you didnae prove tae me that it was your timeline though."

"Aye, I did. He's my son which, in turn, makes him your half-brother."

"But I didnae see you!" she said, poking a finger into his hand.

"Oh, I see what you're up tae. You want tae go see Hamish again," he said with a grin and Zoe nodded. "Well, I'm nae sure if I can do that, Jeelie Bean. I had tae go there the last time because it was meant tae be."

"So you dinnae feel that way anymore?" she asked as he looked at the painting and blinked.

"I'm nae sure," he sighed and she looked up at him.

"Then we can go see Hammy again?" she asked, looking at the painting and Hamish smiled sweetly at her.

(Theta's universe)

Inverness, Scotland

"Are ye listening tae me?" Lucy asked as Hamish blinked and sat up, placing his elbows on the table. He had been thinking about seeing his father and little sister's faces for the first time and spending time with them that he had totally blocked out what she was talking about.

"Aye, I was listening," he said with a nod of his head and Lucy sighed, placing her hand on his arm.

"What is the matter?" she asked and he heard the concern in her voice.

"_Och, Dad, why didnae I ask ye tae show me what she looked like?" _he thought as he smiled and reached out with his hand, placing his hand on top of hers.

"Och, I was just thinking aboot Robbie and his wee daughter," Hamish said and she nodded. Even though they had only been married three years, she knew that he was afraid to talk about having children because of his blindness. Standing up, she walked closer when she sat on his lap and slid one arm under his arm then around his shoulder and the other around his waist.

"Makes ye want tae have one, eh?" she asked and he turned his face to look toward her and half smiled.

"Och, imagine what I time I would have trying tae run after a wee one," he teased as she saw the sadness in his eyes and sighed. She felt him stand up as she got off his lap and he reached out, taking the stick in his hand. "Well, off tae the pub."

"Aye," she said with a nod as he headed for the door then turned and placed a hand on the doorframe.

"Ye want tae come with me?" he asked.

"No, ye go but be nice. I dinnae want tae have tae come bail ye out if ye get into a row."

"Hunh, get into one little fight an' I'm treated like a wee bairn straight off the breast!" he said with a laugh then walked away and she rolled her eyes, smiling.

The TARDIS materialized in the alleyway when the doors opened and Jamie and Zoe walked outside. He closed and locked the doors when he took her hand and they watched the TARDIS turn into a large hay wagon loaded down with hay. Nodding, they walked down the alleyway as Jamie looked around and they headed down the cobblestone street. He smiled while Zoe looked around and was marveled at the sights. She smiled as he squeezed her hand then heard voices coming from the pub and they walked toward it. The Lone Wolf Pub was a two story building made of white stone with wooden beams on the corners and around the blue and green stain glass windows and the thatched roof was a dull brown color. The brown wooden shutters framed the windows and smoke rose from the stone chimey at the back of the pub. An old wooden door had an oval window made of blue stain glass at the center and the brass door handle was slightly bent at the middle.

Jamie knew it wasn't a good idea to take a child into a pub as he sighed then opened the door and they walked inside. The walls were white with a wooden bar to the right of the room and wooden stairs led to the rooms upstairs. Jamie had learned that the rooms were used by Highlanders who brought a young lass to have their way with them and he remembered the time Alexander McLaren, the son of his laird, had dragged him up to one of those rooms.

"_But why do I have tae go in there?" _his fourteen year old self asked and Alexander laughed.

"_Because it's time ye became a man, Lad!" _was Alexander's answer and he had spent the night chatting with the fifteen year old lass that was in the room. Neither of them wanted to ruin her virtue, so they snuck out of the room by the window and he walked her home. He did give her the money that Alexander gave him and told her father the truth that she was still a maiden. Not seeing any blood on her skirt, her father thanked him for his honesty and she gave him a little kiss.

Jamie's mind cleared when he heard the sound of fighting and looked toward the center of the room. Standing near the tossed over chairs and over turned table was Hamish and he was surrounded by four, large men.

"Daddy, why is Hammy fighting them?" Zoe asked as he looked down at her and shrugged.

"He's a McCrimmon, Jeelie Bean," he said with a grin and walked toward Hamish. He knew that he would get in big trouble if anything happened to the imager he was wearing but he wasn't going to stand by and let his son get clobbered. "Hamish, ye need any help?"

Hamish looked toward Jamie when a large grin nearly cut his face in half and snorted, twirling the stick in his hands.

"Nah, Robbie, I'm more than able tae handle this lot," he said, hearing growling coming from the others.

"Be careful!" Zoe shouted and he laughed.

"I will, Jeelie Bean!" he said and Zoe's eyes lit up at him using her nickname. The men were taller than he was and one of them had a dirk on his right hand. Hamish knew he had tripped over his own feet when he crashed into one of the men but they were the ones that started the fight and he wasn't about to let them beat the tar out of him. "Are ye lads sure ye want tae do this?"

"Ye may be blind, McCrimmon, but that doesnae excuse rudeness," one of the men said and Hamish half smiled.

"What was rude is yer fat arse being so wide that ye had tae have the chair sit half way across the room just so ye can sit down!" Hamish said and the people around them laughed.

"_Aye, Son, he does have a big arse. Wonder if the floor will shake when you knock him on it," _Jamie thought with a smile and Zoe giggled. Winking at her, he led her to one of the larger wooden benches then sat down, placing her on his lap.

"How did Hammy know he had a big butt?" Zoe asked.

"I think he was bluffing," Jamie said and she nodded, looking at Hamish. Spinning the stick around then sticking it under his arm, Hamish held his fists out while listening to the others gathered around him and the pub grew quit. The heavy breathing of the man in front of him told him he was facing the man with the big arse and listened while the man took two steps then ducked when the man swung his fist. The man yelped as he sailed by Hamish then crashed into the table behind him and it shattered under his weight.

"Yay!" Zoe said as she clapped and Hamish turned toward her, did a little bow and the end of the stick struck the man sneaking up behind him in the stomach. Grunting, the man held onto his stomach then fall to the floor with a loud thud.

"Sounds to me like a loud mouse was trying to sneak up on me," Hamish said when he bent down some more and smacked the man in the face with the end of the stick. The man dropped unconscious to the floor as Hamish looked up toward Zoe and grinned. "Did I get it?"

"Aye, you got him!" Zoe shouted and Hamish winked at her. Standing up, he listened for the other two men when the man with the dirk ran toward him and Zoe gasped. "Look out!"

"That's a wee bit tricky at the moment," Hamish said with a grin when he heard someone coming closer then spun around and smashed the stick against the man's wrist then his face and the dirk clattered to the floor. The man dropped to the floor as he held his broken nose in his hands and Hamish smiled.

"HAMISH WILLIAM MCCRIMMON!" a voice bellowed as Hamish stood stone still and the only sound in the room was the fire in the fireplace. Jamie slowly turned his head toward the door when his hearts slammed against his ribs and Zoe's mouth fell open. Standing in the doorway was Jamie but his light brown hair had some streaks of gray in it and his face looked a little older. He was wearing a white linen shirt, a black leather belt, brown trousers and brown work boots. Walking toward Hamish, Older Jamie stepped over the man with the big arse and Hamish sighed, holding the stick against his body.

"_Daddy, that's you!" _Zoe thought, looking at Older Jamie.

"_Aye, so do you believe me now?"_ he thought and she nodded.

"Dad, I can explain," Hamish said softly and Older Jamie folded his arms over his chest.

"I'm waiting," he said and Hamish softly coughed.

"Well, I came in here tae, ye ken, tae have a wee drink but that one…" Hamish said as he tried to point with the stick toward the man with the big arse but Older Jamie took the stick out of Hamish's hand and Hamish sighed. "I tripped over my own two feet an' crashed into him."

"Did ye tell him that ye were sorry?" Older Jamie asked.

"Uh, no, I didnae," Hamish said and Zoe softly giggled, making Jamie look at her.

"_An' what do you think is so funny?" _he thought.

"_He looks like Frazer when you get mad at him," _she thought and he nodded.

"So ye gave him lip instead, did ye?" Older Jamie asked with a stern tone in his voice.

"Aye, that's what I did," Hamish said, nodding his head.

"Well, I have tae say that this is very disappointing. I thought ye were the smart one," Older Jamie said as Hamish felt the smirks on the faces of the people in the pub and he shyly toed the floor with his foot.

"Can I have my stick back?" Hamish asked as though he was a small boy who had been caught fighting and Older Jamie looked at the stick then at the man with the big arse and smiled.

"Got tae admit, he does have a large arse. I'm amazed he fit through the door," Older Jamie asked as the others "ooo"ed and "ahh"ed and the man with the big arse stood up, walking toward him. Standing over six feet in height, he glared at Older Jamie as Older Jamie leaned on the stick and the man grunted, walking away. Grinning, Older Jamie placed the stick in Hamish's hand and ruffled his hair. "THAT, Lad, is how ye do it!"

"Aye, Dad," Hamish said with a nod of his head as they headed for the door when Hamish turned around and looked toward Jamie. "Robbie, I forgot all aboot ye. Come say hello tae my father."

"_Daddy, you cannae touch him or…" _Zoe thought and Jamie nodded. Slowly, he and Zoe stood up as they walked toward them and Older Jamie looked at Zoe then at Jamie, who had his hands behind his back.

"Dad, this is an old mate of mine an' his daughter, Zoe. Robert Grey, this is my father, James McCrimmon," Hamish said and Older Jamie held his hand out.

"A pleasure," Older Jamie said, waiting for Jamie to shake hands with him.

"And you as well, Sir. Uh, I cannae shake hands though. Burned them badly in a fire," Jamie said as Older Jamie looked at him with a tilt to his head and Jamie hoped he bought his story. Nodding, Older Jamie turned to Hamish and patted his shoulder.

"Ye get home now, Lad, or I will tan yer hid with that stick," Older Jamie said with a grin then left the pub. Sighing, Jamie moved his hands to the front and Hamish reached out for his hand. Walking closer, Jamie took his hand and Hamish moved closer, placing his mouth to Jamie's ear.

"Pa-pa, why didnae shake hands?" he asked softly.

"Because we'd both vanish if I did," Jamie whispered and Hamish nodded. Reaching out for Zoe's hand, Hamish turned around as they headed for the door and went outside.

Hamish stood next to Jamie as the TARDIS softly hummed around him and Jamie held his hand. He was showing him what the Earth looked like from space as Hamish sighed and squeezed Jamie's hand. Stepping back, they watched the doors close when Jamie let go of his hand and Hamish's vision faded.

"Och, I hate this," he said and Jamie felt his hearts hurting. He led Hamish to the wooden bench when Zoe got up and they sat down. Hamish reached out as she crawled onto his lap and he wrapped his arms around her. Turning Hamish's head toward him, Jamie placed his fingers against Hamish's temples and Namid appeared in Hamish's mind. "Who's that?"

"That's Namid. She is the daughter of the Doctor in the universe Zoe and I live in now. Namid, like you, is blind but she doesnae let it stand in her way," Jamie said as he showed her walking around with her cane in front of her, rough housing with her brother and sister, getting in trouble with Alan and some other things and Hamish smiled.

"She's a lot like me. Ye sure she's nae a McCrimmon?" he teased and Jamie laughed.

"No, she's nae, but her father does what I'm doing now and shows her what's going on. It helps her cope with her blindness but there are times I think she sees better than any of us."

"Ah, I get what yer saying, Dad. I see in my own way, too, an' shouldnae mope aboot the rest."

"Aye, that is exactly what I'm saying," Jamie said, letting go of Hamish's head.

"Will ye do me a favor?"

"Aye, what is it?"

"Can ye…can…will ye show me my Lucy?" he asked and Jamie smiled, placing his fingers on Hamish's temples. Closing his eyes, he placed his forehead against Hamish's forehead and Hamish smiled when Lucy appeared in his mind. "Blimey, is that what she looks like?"

"Aye," Jamie said, letting go and Hamish sighed, smiling.

"Thank ye," he said and Jamie stroked Hamish's hair. Lifting Zoe off his lap, Hamish stood up as he reached for the stick and Zoe placed it in his hand. "Well, I guess I should be going. Though, I am tempted tae go with ye."

"Can he, Daddy?" Zoe asked and Jamie softly laughed, shaking his head.

"You both ken that I cannae do that!" he said and they pouted. "But if the Doctor or Jack say it's ok, and will do no harm tae the timelines, we can come for a visit now an' then."

Zoe hugged him then Hamish when Jamie stood up and they walked to the doors. Hamish stood back as the wind blew the hair around his head and a soft wheezing and grinding sound filled the air. Reaching out with his hand, he felt empty air as he sighed then smiled and turned, walking down the alleyway.

"I'm home," Hamish said when he walked into the room and Lucy walked to him, snatching the stick out of his hand.

"Where have ye been? Molly Tanner came an' told me that ye were fighting in the pub again!" she half shouted and Hamish half closed his eyes, remembering what Jamie showed him.

"Aye, I have been a bad one. Guess I'll go tae my room," he said as he headed for the stairs then missed the step, crashing down onto it. He cussed as she dropped the stick to the floor and ran to him. Holding his sore knee, he sat on the step as she sat next to him and leaned him into her.

"Serves ye right, ye big dunce," she said, stroking his hair and he half smiled. "Let's go get ye sorted."

Nodding, he slowly stood up as she held him to her side and they slowly went up the stairs.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Zoe said while Jamie led her into her bedroom and he had his hands over her eyes.

"Nae yet," he said when they stopped at the foot of her bed and he looked at the painting hanging over her bed. Hamish and Zoe smiled at him when Jamie kissed the top of her head and moved his hands away. "Ok, you can look now."

Zoe opened her eyes when she smiled and climbed onto the bed. Carefully, she stood on the bed as she looked at the painting and noticed that the stick was lying across her lap and Hamish had his arms wrapped around her. His chin rested on the top of her head and she was holding his hands.

"Do you like it?" Jamie asked when she ran to him and hugged him. He sent love into her mind as he held her in his arms and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Daddy," she said as he nodded then let go of her.

"You are so welcome, Jeelie Bean," he said then walked to the door and turned, looking at her. She was sitting cross legged on the bed as she looked at the painting and he patted the doorframe then walked away.


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter Sixty Nine

"Okay, all aboard!" the Doctor said as the family members who were going with him climbed into the TARDIS. "I found the perfect place to go so hopefully we'll all have fun today and…"

He trailed off when he heard his children giggling while Sokanon whispered to them about the room.

"And Soki here has stumbled onto my other selves or rather the heads of my other selves that I use whenever I need advice from myself and this has tickled her fancy so much that I'm sure she'll be hanging out in there 24/7 now," he said as the children laughed.

"I just think it's cool that you get to talk to yourself as heads," Sokanon said.

"Okay, well could you please refrain from going back there until we get back so I don't have to stand around listening for my other selves to stop cooing over you lot," he said as everyone laughed. "Right, here we go, hitting the high road for fun and adventure!"

He released the handbrake and the TARDIS flew off into the vortex. Meanwhile, while the Doctor was flying, Sokanon led the others back to the room. She opened the door and led them over to the Seal of Rassilon. The heads were inanimate again and they stared at them in wonder.

"They talk?" Chaska said.

"You have to step on this picture in front of them," Sokanon said, pointing to the seal. "Then they come to life like magic."

"I knew it!"

They looked over when the Doctor entered with the rest of his family.

"See, couldn't stay away from it," he said.

Everyone stopped and stared at the heads.

"Okay, that's creepy especially since he's there," Rose said, pointing to Nine's head.

"God, Bro, I thought I knew a lot about you but I didn't know you talked to severed heads of yourself," Awinita said, making a face. "Wait, you have a room like this?" she said to Doc, "or you?" she said to Nelak and Dex.

The three men coughed loudly and shifted their feet as everyone laughed. Sokanon frowned when she heard the squeaking again.

"Hey, what's up there?"

"Just bats," the Doctor said, shrugging.

"Bats?" Donna said as she backed away. "You got real live bats in here?"

"Yeah, but they won't hurt ya, relax," the Doctor said. "They're mainly here for mood."

"Well, it's working," Rain said, looking around.

"You know about this room?" Rose asked her.

"Uh, no," Rain said.

Everyone stared at her in shock and looked at the Doctor.

"Okay, I tell my wife a lot of things but not everything. I didn't think she'd be comfortable if she knew I had a room with talking heads in it. Hmm, Talking Heads, brilliant band…anyway, observe."

He stepped onto the seal and instantly the heads came to life.

"Okay, here's some of my family since my daughters just had to come in here," he said, gesturing to them while they stood and stared at them in stunned silence.

"Okay, this is incredibly creepy," Tara muttered to Awinita who nodded in agreement.

They glanced at Alan when they heard him snicker and saw him standing with Dex, Doc and Nelak. They were nudging each other and giggling at everyone else's shocked faces.

"Well, it's about time you showed us someone other than yourself," Two said. "Gets boring staring at your pretty face all day."

The Doctor blushed when everyone laughed at that.

"Yeah, well, gotta go, flying the TARDIS," the Doctor said hurriedly as everyone snickered.

He practically pushed his family out the door and shut it behind him.

"Right, let's go have some fun," he said to them.

"Anything you say, Pretty Face," Donna said.

The Doctor eyed her as everyone giggled. They headed back to the console room except for Namid. The Doctor looked down at him.

"Wotcha, my little starshine," he said to her.

"Hi, can you help me?"

"I don't know, can I?"

She giggled and took his hand.

"Come and help me, Pretty Face," she said.

"Oh blimey, now everyone's gonna be callin' me that," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes.

He followed Namid back to her room and watched as she grabbed her Little Mermaid tote bag from the side of her night table. She reached in and pulled out an Ereader that the Doctor had got for her when he realized that not only could you read books on it but it had a voice that could read to you. To his dismay though, he soon realized that the voice was electronic and sounded like a Dalek but Namid enjoyed it and after he drilled a couple of holes into the top and threaded a sturdy ribbon through the holes, he made a sort of necklace out of it so she could wear it around her neck. She was able to operate the buttons on the bottom by touch after she memorized their location; the only thing she needed help with was selecting a book from the menu.

"I wanna listen to Peter Pan, Daddy. Could you select it for me?"

"Why? You gonna ignore me the whole day and listen to the Dalek read to you?" he asked as she giggled.

"I can do both," Namid said.

He had to admit she was right. She had a talent for hearing what was going on around her and following the story at the same time. The Doctor brought up the menu and scrolled down through the novels he had uploaded for her. Most of them were classic children's stories that he thought she might like along with newer ones like the Harry Potter series. He found Peter Pan and found where she had put her bookmark, marking the place where she had last stopped. He winced when the Dalek voice immediately started reading the words aloud.

"Oh, Rainbow, I gotta find a new one for ya, one with a voice that doesn't grate on your nerves," he said as he slipped the ribbon around her neck.

Once that was done, he took her hand and led her back to the console room. Alan groaned when he heard the voice reading to Namid.

"Oh no, not the cyborg," he said as everyone laughed. "That thing is so annoying."

"Trust me, I'm gonna find a replacement with a more normal sounding voice," the Doctor said.

The TARDIS landed and everyone walked towards the front door. They stepped out into an alley and looked around but they couldn't see any sign of a circus or funfair. Up ahead they saw people walking along the pavement so they decided to ask which way to go but the moment they stepped out onto the pavement and looked around, they noticed they were in a quaint looking small town with old fashioned looking shops. Intrigued, they decided to explore the town for a moment before asking for directions. Both human and aliens were walking the pavement, going in and out of the shops.

"Where are we?" Tara asked.

"Believe it or not, this is Mars in the year 4360. The humans came here and terraformed it and in a hundred years or so, the air had enough oxygen that the red sky was replaced by blue and now it rains and snows just like on Earth. But, the Earthlings that came here got nostalgic for their home planet which is why we're seeing the small town mock-up here. But if you go far enough, you can still see traces of the red planet in the red mountains and some red deserts, the rest has been taken over with green vegetation.

They split up into different groups and started going into the shops. Alan was walking with Rose when he suddenly heard a robotic voice behind him and he groaned as he looked behind him and saw Doc leading Namid.

"Oh no, we have to listen to Cyborg Pan while we shop," he said as Rose chuckled.

"Be quiet, Silly Alan," Namid said.

"I don't like the robot voice, it's annoying. It's ruining a perfectly good story," Alan said as they walked.

They headed into a sweet shop and looked around.

"Ooo, what do they have?" Alan said as he walked up to the glass display case, leaned over and peered in.

"Ya'nala, you want some sweets?" Doc asked.

Namid thought while she listened to her novel. While she thought, she heard Alan ask for a sack of salt water taffy and her face brightened.

"That. I want salt water taffy like Uncle Alan's getting," she said to Doc.

"Okay," Doc said, leading her over.

Alan let out a melodramatic sigh and put his head on Rose's shoulder.

"Why did the cyborg follow me?" he asked as Namid giggled. "I never thought I would hear a Dalek doing storytime but there you are, a Dalek is reading Peter Pan to me."

"Can't be worse than some things you've encountered, Alan," Rose said.

"No, I've encountered worse but none as annoying as the cyborg back there," he said as Doc order a sack of licorice for him and a sack of taffy for Namid.

Doc looked down when Namid tugged on his trouser legs.

"Could you get something for Daddy? Do they have jelly babies, he likes those and Mummy likes lollies, do they have those?"

Doc glanced down through the case and saw both. He ordered a sack of jelly babies and a huge all day sucker. The man behind the counter gave him the sacks and Doc handed her the sack of taffy. Namid reached in and popped a pink taffy into her mouth before she took Doc's hand. As they walked, Doc looked around and saw Alan and Rose following them.

"I thought you couldn't stand the cyborg?" he teased.

"Nah, I like following my niece, she always finds interesting things," Alan said.

As they stepped outside, Doc saw the Doctor, Rain, Sokanon and Chaska across the street in a small park ordering lemon ices from a man in a wooden booth. The four of them looked both ways and crossed over once Doc told Namid what was going on.

"Mummy, Daddy!" Namid said as they looked her way. "I got sweets for you!"

Doc handed the Doctor the sack of jelly babies and Rain the lollipop.

"Thank you, baby," Rain said.

"Yes, love my jelly babies," the Doctor said, popping one in his mouth.

"Do you want a lemon ice, Mi-mi?" Rain asked.

She nodded and ordered for her while Doc, Alan and Rose waited to order. While they were doing that, Chaska and Sokanon had a couple of pieces of jelly babies while they drank their lemon ice. While they sipped their drinks, they suddenly noticed someone shuffling by the park. He was pale, nearly albino with a bald head and blue eyes. He was wearing a leather jacket and trousers with black boots. In his hand was a wicker basket that was filled with food and other items. What disturbed the children was the blank look on his face while he shuffled along. Chaska and Sokanon shared a look and walked out of the park, intending to follow the man. They walked onto the pavement and noticed the man was shuffling very slowly.

"What's wrong with him?" Sokanon said as they walked behind him.

"Dunno. He looks weird like he's sleepwalking."

"Kids!"

They turned and saw Alan behind them, a stern look on his face.

"Stop following him," he said to them.

"But there's something odd about him, Uncle Alan," Sokanon said. "We were gonna ask if something was wrong."

"No, that's final. Stay away from him."

"Why?"

They noticed Alan gazing at the man with an angry look on his face.

"Because there's nothing you can do for him, kids," he said angrily. "He's a Quek, part of a slave race. The reason why he looks so weird is because he's been brainwashed from birth to serve someone. He's basically mindless."

"Then we need to help him," Sokanon said, starting after him.

She gasped when Alan grabbed her arm.

"No! Don't! I'm dead serious. If you try to help, he'll think you're interfering with his master's wishes and he'll attack and possibly kill you. There's nothing you can do, okay? As much as I hate to see it, you have to leave him alone. They're bred to serve and nothing else and their brainwashing is so entrenched there's no way you could convince them otherwise."

By this time, the others had come out of the park. The Doctor glanced at the Quek and nodded.

"Yes, I'm sorry, kids. I know you wanna help but Alan's right. Their race is basically mindless and even if they didn't attack us, we still couldn't get through to them."

"That's terrible, Daddy," Sokanon said.

"I know, sweetie, but there are some races in the universe that are bred to be slaves and nothing else. There's nothing we can do for him, okay?"

Sokanon nodded but the Doctor noticed that he and Chaska were still looking at the Quek with a worried look on their faces and he smiled at that. He turned and urged them to do the same. Namid took hold of Rain's hand and Doc got on her other side while Sokanon walked beside the Doctor and Alan and Rose, Christopher and Chaska followed behind them.


	70. Chapter 70

A/N: This takes place right after Trials of a Time Lord: Exile.

Chapter Seventy

Walking down the hallway, Jamie stopped in the doorway to Zoe's room and smiled while his fifteen year old daughter smoothed down the duvet on her bed. Hanging above her bed was the painting of her and Hamish and Jamie sadly smiled.

"Are you alright, Daddy?" Zoe asked as she walked closer and Jamie nodded, brushing the fringe out of his eyes.

"I still cannae believe you still have that," he said as he pointed to the painting and she turned, looking at it.

"I kept it so I'd remember him," she said then sighed. "It's so odd that he's been dead for centuries yet I remember him like it's only been days since I last saw him."

"Aye, I feel the same way," Jamie said when she took his hands and softly squeezed them.

"Daddy, I never wanted tae ask but how old was he when he…died?" she said then saw a shadow of sadness cover his face and he sighed.

"He was…" Jamie said then closed his eyes and she felt his hands trembling. "He was thirty-two."

"How old was he when we met him?"

"He was twenty-five."

"How did it happen?" she asked and his hearts felt heavy in his chest.

"He was killed in an explosion," he said softly and saw the tears in her eyes. Sliding his arms around her, he held her and sent love into her mind while kissing the top of her head. He looked at the painting while Hamish smiled at him when a sharp pain hit him between his eyes and he slid to the floor, taking Zoe with him.

"Daddy?" she asked, sitting up and stroked his hair.

"Jamie, can you hear me?" Grace said and her voice sounded like it was under water. His eyes slowly fluttered open as he looked around and noticed that he was in his bedroom. Jenna sat next to him as she kissed the top of his head and Grace waved a pen light in his eyes. "Welcome back."

"Did I go somewhere?" he asked as Jenna light smacked his chest and softly smiled. "Where's Zoe?"

"Right here," Zoe said when she ran into the room and crawled onto the bed, sitting on his legs. "Are you alright, Daddy?"

"Aye, but my head hurts a bit."

"Does anything feel numb?" Grace asked and he lightly shook his head. "Well, you are bed bound for the next few days and I'll not take no for an answer."

"But what aboot Donny's recital?" he asked, looking up at Jenna.

"He says it's ok if you skip this one," she said and he sighed, closing his eyes. Jenna sent love into his mind as he drifted off to sleep but something still felt wrong.

"Zoe? Wake up," Jamie whispered while he shook her and Zoe opened her eyes. The night table lamp was on as she wiped the sleep out of her eyes and sat up under the duvet.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" she whispered and he looked up at the painting, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Do you remember when I told you that meeting Hamish had tae happen?" he asked and she nodded. "Well, I never figured out why until this afternoon."

"What do you mean?"

"It has tae do with the explosion that killed him. You see, they never did find any bodies after the explosion."

"Then how do you ken that he died?"

"That's the thing, I dinnae ken. All that was left was a big hole in the ground."

"So there's a chance that he's still alive?"

"Only one way tae find out, Jeelie Bean," he said with a smile and she softly laughed.

"It's been a long time since you called me that!" she teased and he nodded.

"Get up an' dressed then meet me in the TARDIS," he said as she nodded and he got up, leaving the room.

(Theta's universe)

Inverness, Scotland

Hamish softly breathed when the door to the bedroom opened and a tiny pair of feet moved across the floor, heading for the bed. Rolling onto his side, Hamish sighed when someone crawled onto the bed and started to gently poke his nose with a small finger.

"Daddy?" four year old Zoe McCrimmon asked as she kept poking his nose and Hamish half smiled. Lucy was right about him being afraid to have children because of his blindness but both Zoe and her two month old sister, Moira, were sighted and he wiggled under the duvet but didn't wake up.

"G'way. Sleeping," he said then started to softly snore and she giggled.

"But ye're talking tae me," she said, lifting his right eyelid up and he gently moved her hand away. He and Lucy had explained that he was blind but it didn't stop Zoe from opening his eyes every morning and she opened his eyelid again.

"I'm talking in m'sleep," he said as she let go then gently butted her forehead against his. "Hm, who let the goat in here?"

"Come on, Daddy, Mommy says it's time tae get up," she said as he sighed and opened his sightless eyes.

"Och, if I must," he sighed and moved the duvet back. Zoe scrambled off the bed while he got up and she ran to the other side of the bed, taking his hand. "Am I that old that ye have tae help me up?"

"No, just want tae," she said with a grin and he wrapped his fingers around hers then headed for the door. She handed him the stick as he nodded and they left the room.

The wheezing and grinding sound filled the air as the TARDIS materialized in the alleyway and the door opened. Jamie and Zoe walked outside as he closed the doors then took her hand and they walked down the alleyway. The TARDIS changed into a hay wagon filled with hay as they walked along and Jamie looked straight ahead, feeling his hearts thumping hard in his chest. He was using the imager to hide his appearance but couldn't use his Robert Grey disguise because Grey had a little girl the last time anyone saw him. Jamie has decided on a man with dark brown hair and eyes but wore the same clothes and was his height. Before he left, he explained to the Doctor, Amato and Duer about what was going on and they scanned the vortex, finding a large time bubble in his timeline. The last time the Doctor saw a time bubble was they had to remove Frazer and his family from the past and the Doctor gave Jamie the ok to go rescue Hamish and his family.

"Are you sure this is the right date?" she asked and Jamie nodded. The day of the explosion was embed in his mind as they walked out of the alleyway and headed down the cobblestone street.

"You have tae understand something, Jeelie Bean. The English has decided that Scottish children and the children of the English settlers were tae be taught in the same schools an' were tae learn how to be British. This didnae go well with the people of Inverness an' a lot of schools were either burned tae the ground or…" Jamie said as she nodded and squeezed his hand.

"Is that how it happened? The school Hamish was teaching in was blown up?"

"No, see, it wasnae just the schools…"

"Are yos saying that they blew up the teacher's homes as well?" she asked with wide eyes and Jamie sighed, nodding. "That's disgusting."

"Imagine how I felt when I had tae bury four coffins a few days after the blast."

"Did they ever find out who did it?"

"Aye, now what we need tae to do is find Hamish an'…" Jamie said when he saw Hamish coming down the street and Zoe smiled. The staff clicked softly on the cobblestones when Hamish came closer and nearly crashed into Jamie.

"Och, sorry," he said when he reached out and Jamie took hold of his hand. "Dad, is that you?"

"Aye," Jamie said and Hamish smiled. Slowly, Jamie placed his fingers against Hamish's temple and closed his eyes. Hamish blinked again when he suddenly could see and Jamie smiled at him after appearing in his head.

"Och, where is my wee Zoe?" he asked as Jamie let go while Hamish reached his hand out and Zoe took his hand.

"Hello," she said and he frowned.

"What is wrong with yer voice?" he asked and she gently hugged him. "And when did you get taller?"

"I'm fifteen now," she whispered in his ear and he hugged her.

"Och, where has the time gone?" he whispered and she giggled. He let go of her then reached his hand out and Jamie took his hand. "So, what brings ye here?"

"We came tae warn you," Jamie asked and Hamish title his head to one side.

"If it's aboot the bombings an' the fires then ye can save yer breath. Ye already talked tae me an' Lucy aboot quitting. I dinnae care a lick if the wee ones are Scottish or nae, I am going tae teach them. Lucy feels the same," Hamish said and Jamie sighed.

"Hamish, think aboot Zoe and Moira," Jamie said with a concern tone to his voice and Zoe looked at Hamish. Jamie had told her about them as Hamish tapped the end of the stick on the ground and frowned.

"Ye dinnae have tae remind me aboot them. I ken that there's a risk but I cannae stop doing something that I ken is right," Hamish said with a sigh and Jamie nodded.

"Is Lucy home?" Jamie asked.

"Aye, she's been home since Moira was born."

"Then let's go see her. Mebbe I can talk some sense into the pair of you," Jamie said as Hamish grinned then took Zoe's arm in his and they headed down the cobblestones.

Lucy opened the door after she saw Hamish returning with two strangers and Zoe smiled at her.

"Hamish?" she asked as he clicked the stick on the steps and walked toward her, kissing her cheek.

"Lucy, this is Alexander Cullen an' his daughter, Victoria. Alex is one of the new teachers they sent from Edinburgh an' I was wondering if it's alright for them to lodge here until they find a house of their own," he said as she looked at them and Jamie smiled.

"We left our things at the inn, Misses. Can we come in?" Jamie asked and she nodded her head, stepping back to let them in. The main hall of the small, two story house was nicely furnished as Zoe looked around then saw a small girl sitting on the stairs. She was wearing a blue blouse and skirt and her hair was tied back with a matching ribbon.

"Daddy, who are they?" Little Zoe asked and Hamish smiled at her.

"This is Professor Cullen an' his daughter. Come down an' say hello," he said as Little Zoe walked down the stairs and looked up at Jamie. Jamie's hearts thumped hard in his chest while he looked down at his granddaughter and softly smiled.

"An' what is yer name?" he asked.

"My name is Zoe Emily an' I'm four!" she said and Jamie nodded.

"Would ye like some tea, Professor," Lucy asked as he looked at her and nodded. Lucy headed for the kitchen as Little Zoe tugged on Zoe's hand and she looked down at her.

"Want tae see my wee sister?" she asked as Zoe looked at Jamie and he nodded. Taking the small hand in hers, Zoe followed Little Zoe up the stairs and Jamie sighed.

"Right," Hamish said as he held his hand out and Jamie took it, looking at him. "Mind telling me the truth, now that the ladies are gone?"

"I'm nae sure that ye'll believe me," Jamie said and Hamish softly laughed.

"The fact that I'm standing here with my father, who just happens tae be in Glasgow an' is visiting my sister at the moment, an' my sister, who isnae born yet, is upstairs seeing her niece makes me believe nearly anything ye tell me," he said with a grin.

"Let's go into the parlor an' I'll tell ye," Jamie said as he hooked Hamish's arm around his and they walked down the hallway. Hamish let go of his arm when they walked into the parlor and Jamie smiled at the modest furniture. Hamish sat down on the couch as Jamie stood in front of him and placed his hands behind his back. Trying to figure out the right words to say, Jamie looked out at the window behind the couch when he saw someone moving by the window and blinked. "Are ye expecting anyone?"

"Uh, no," Hamish said as he stood up just as Lucy walked into the room, carrying a tray with a teapot, some cups, a sugar bowl and some tea biscuits. "Lucy, were we expecting anyone today?"

"No," Lucy said when Jamie walked to her and placed the tray on the table.

"_Zoe, get the girls an' come down here," _Jamie thought as he looked at the window and two more figures walked by the window.

"_Aye, Daddy, what's going on?" _she thought.

"_Just get down here!" _he thought then removed the imager and Lucy gasped.

"Hamish, he turned into yer father!" she said and Hamish walked to her, holding her against him.

"That's because it is my father," Hamish said and she looked up at him. Jamie sighed when Zoe walked into the room and held Moira in her arms. Little Zoe was next to her as they walked to Jamie and Lucy looked at them.

"I dinnae have time tae explain but I do need tae ken if ye had any deliveries lately," Jamie said as Hamish let go of Lucy and walked toward him, the stick thumping on the carpet.

"Aye, several kegs of whiskey were delivered tae the house a few days ago," Lucy said as Jamie looked at Hamish and frowned.

"Where is it?" Jamie asked and Lucy took his hand, leading him into the hallway. They went down the hallway when they came to the basement door then, suddenly, the sound of broken glass filled the air and Little Zoe screamed. "Right, let's get everyone into the cellar!"

Lucy opened the door when several men came in front the kitchen and Zoe quickly led Little Zoe down the stairs. Lucy helped Hamish as Jamie came in last and barely had time to shut then bolt the door when one of the men tried to follow them.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Little Zoe shouted as the men pounded on the door and Jamie looked at the barrels that were lined up along the walls of the cellar and stood in the middle of the room.

"Blimey," he whispered when he reached into his pocket and took out his sonic screwdriver. Jenna teased him because it looked like the recorder that Duer used in his second life and Jamie pushed the button, scanning the barrels.

"What is that?" Lucy demanded, looking at the sonic screwdriver.

"Never mind that," Jamie said as he placed the sonic screwdriver away. "What we are is in a lot of trouble."

Little Zoe screamed again as the men pounded on the door and Zoe hushed Moira, who had started crying.

"What sort of trouble," Hamish asked as he walked toward Jamie and he took hold of Hamish's hand.

"We're surrounded by barrels filled with explosives an' those men up there are probably here tae kill us."

"But why would they do they want tae kill us?" Lucy demanded, taking Moira from Zoe and rocked her.

"Because of the school," Hamish said as she walked to him and he placed his arm around her.

"Blast, yer father was right. We should have quit. Now it's too late an' we're going tae die," Lucy said when Jamie removed something from his pocket and smiled.

"I dinnae think so," he said while Zoe looked at what was in his hand and smiled.

"Is that Pa-paw's Stattenheim remote control?" she asked.

"No, it's mine!" Jamie said when the pounding stopped and they heard footsteps running out of the house. "That doesnae sound good."

"If they're leaving then they're nae going tae kill us," Lucy said.

"No, it means they're leaving so they can kill us!" Jamie said then put two fingers in his mouth, whistles and pushed the button. Lucy and Little Zoe jumped when the TARDIS materialized in front of them and Hamish smiled. Lucy looked like she was going to faint while Jamie placed the remote control away then gently cupped her face in her hands. "Now, Lucy, I am going tae ask ye tae take a big leap of faith an' follow me. Can ye do that?"

"Aye," Lucy said with a nod of her head and Jamie walked to the doors, unlocking them. Holding the doors open, he watched Zoe lead the others inside then followed them, closing the doors behind him. After the TARDIS dematerialized, the house exploded in a bright fireball and a large cloud of smoke filled the air.

(Two weeks later)

New Gallifrey

Hamish stood near the desk as he gently tapped his fingers and tried to calm down. His mind drifted back to the day he and his family met the Doctor, Duer, Amato and their extended families and he was thrilled to finally meet Namid. He was surprised that she wasn't blind anymore and she told him how she got her sight back. Grace and Martha ran tests to see if there was any way he could see again but they told him that he wouldn't be able to until after he regenerated. The Doctor had given him the crystals and told him to wait until Moira was two or three before changing her into the Time Child. Jamie told him that they didn't have to change but the idea of being a Time Lord sounded like a great idea.

"Professor McCrimmon, your class is ready," the voice from his computer said as he smiled, turned and picked up the stick. The Doctor had gotten permission for Lucy and Hamish to teach at the academy as Hamish walked to the door and the door hissed open. The stick clicked on the tile flooring as he walked inside the classroom and Zoe smiled at him. Hamish was wearing a long white robe with gold trim and Gallifreyan script was on the back of the robe. He walked to the podium when he placed the stick against it and placed his hands behind his back.

"Good morning," he said and they answered in kind. "Now, I'm sure you all noticed that I walk with a stick. That is because I'm blind. So, if you have a problem with it, the door is behind you."

He waited while listening to hear if anyone got up then left the room and smiled, standing a little straighter.

"Right, now my name is Professor McCrimmon an' if you treat me with respect, I can be a very good friend as well as a teacher," he said when Christopher held his hand up and David lightly pulled it down.

"What if we're not respectful?" David asked and Hamish sighed, giving them a stern look.

"Then I'll be your worst nightmare!" he said with a soft growl to his voice and Christopher, David and Chaska sank in their seat. "So, if you'll be kind enough tae open your books tae Chapter Seven, we can get started."

The students quickly opened their books while Zoe showed Hamish what was going on and he smiled.


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter Seventy One

After they got their lemon ices, Sokanon and Namid strolled along, hand in hand, down the pavement of the town while their father, Rain and Tara followed close behind them. When the adults stopped to look in the window of a ceramics store, Sokanon and Namid walked up to the next store and peeked in the open door. They saw different kinds of furniture inside and near the door was a huge tan suede sofa that looked comfortable. Sokanon got her parent's attention and after telling them they were going inside, she led her sister over to the sofa and they sat down on it and leaned back into the big, cushy sofa pillow behind them.

"This is nice," Sokanon said.

"Yeah, Daddy needs to get this for the house, it's comfy," Namid replied.

They sat together and listened to her ereader.

"I wish we could help that alien person," Sokanon said after a few minutes.

"Uncle Alan said not to," Namid said.

"Yeah, and he meant it cause Uncle Alan only gets really angry like that when he's serious about something," Sokanon said.

"Yeah. I don't like it when he gets angry. I like when Uncle Alan's silly."

"Me too."

Alan was strolling by with Rose but stopped when he heard his name.

"I heard my name being bandied about in there," he said to Rose as they peeked inside. "Hey, what's this? How come they're resting and I'm walking my tired old legs? Come on, Starlight, let's go sit on the comfy sofa and share in their rest."

They came inside and sat down on either side of the girls.

"So, what about me?" Alan said as he rested beside Namid.

"Just saying that you got angry about us trying to help that one man," Sokanon said.

"I know you want to help but even if we tracked down whoever was controlling him and stopped him, all they would do is sell the Quek to someone else. Honestly, girls, the poor bloke cannot think for himself. He would be useless on his own and eventually die. I know it's not right but his race isn't the only ones that are bred for slavery."

"Hey!"

They looked over when the Doctor stood in the doorway with Tara and Rain.

"What is this? You mean you lot are knackered already?" he said as the children giggled. "We just got started."

"This is comfy, Daddy, come and sit," Sokanon said.

"She's right, it is quite soft and snuggly," Alan said. "We need to get it for Daisy's console room."

"P'eh, you'd never leave the bloomin' thing if you did," Rose said.

"True, but we could have lots of snuggles with it."

"NO!"

Alan jumped when he heard Namid yell.

"What's wrong with you?" he said as the Doctor, Rain and Tara came inside the shop.

"Tinkerbell's gonna die," she said, pointing to her ereader.

Alan snorted.

"Oh, well, no wonder I didn't know what you were on about. I've tuned out Cyborg Pan so I don't go insane listening to it," he said.

"I am getting her something else; I just need to remember when I get back."

"No, Daddy, I like this voice. I know it's weird but that helps me tell which voice is reading the story and which voices are talking."

"Oh, well, I s'pose that's an advantage as well," the Doctor said.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Everyone looked over when the proprietor came out of a back room and saw them sitting on the sofa.

"Ought oh, busted," Alan said as the man came towards them, glaring at the four on the sofa.

"Up, kids, this sofa isn't ours," the Doctor said to them.

The four of them got up and the Doctor offered an apology as they hurried out of the shop while the proprietor glared at them.

"Git," Alan said as they walked away, "we didn't dent his precious sofa and…"

He trailed off when Namid started clapping.

"Um, is that applause for me?" Alan said.

"No, I'm saving Tinkerbell," she said.

"Oh, no wonder," Alan said as Namid continued to clap.

"That's it, baby, save Tinkerbell," Rain said as Namid giggled.

"No, let the fairy die, she's a boring character!" Alan said as Rose swatted his arm playfully. "What? She was. I never liked her, in the novel or the Disney film."

Namid stopped clapping.

"Drat, she's alive again, the novel's ruined," Alan said as Rose gave him another swat.

As they were heading up the street, Jack stepped out of a side street with Chaska.

"Daddy, bazaar!" Chaska said.

"What's bizarre?" the Doctor called back.

"No, bazaar," Jack said, "as in booths and haggling. Everyone else is down this way if you guys wanna follow."

The Doctor's group headed across the street and followed Jack and Chaska. They rounded the corner onto a wide street that had about forty different wooden booths set up with various items for sale. Humans and aliens moved among them, haggling and buying items. The Doctor put his hands in his pockets, his eyes taking everything in as his group moved into the wider group. Eventually some of them drifted off to different booths when something caught their eye but the two girls stayed with the Doctor and Rose while Chaska walked with Jack and Ianto over to a booth selling sports equipment and memorabilia. The Doctor's group walked over to a booth selling books and both the Doctor and Rain began to look through them while Sokanon and Namid stood near them and looked around. While they were looking, Sokanon suddenly saw the Quek buying fruit at a stall across the way. She whispered to Namid what she saw and Namid tugged on her mother's trouser leg.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"That person, the one you said we couldn't help, he's over there," Namid said, pointing ahead of her.

The Doctor laid down a book and looked over his shoulder at him.

"Stay away from him, kids," he said to them. "Keep close to us."

Just then, two boys about the same age as Sokanon and Namid ran up to the Quek and began to taunt him as he selected fruit. The Doctor sighed and shook his head.

"Where are their parents? They need to stop…"

Suddenly, he and Rain gasped as the Quek dropped the fruit and seized one of the boys around the neck, choking him. The Doctor sprinted over as the child left free began to cry for help. Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor saw Jack, Doc, Dex and Alan running his way but he was closest and he tackled the Quek from behind, knocking him into the booth. The impact was enough to loosen his grip on the boy's neck and he wriggled out of his grasp and ran away with his friend. Namid and Sokanon stood with Rain while Chaska stood with Ianto and Christopher stood by Rose. They all gasped when the Quek decked their father, sending him reeling back. He tried to seize his neck so he could choke him but Alan, Dex and Jack quickly pounced on him and grabbed his arms while the Doctor used a nerve pinch to render him unconscious. As he dropped to the ground, the police came running up.

"Are you alright, sir?" one of them asked the Doctor.

He nodded and rubbed his jaw as the police looked around at the crowd.

"Who owns this Quek?" one of the policeman demanded as the Doctor and his family stepped away.

The Doctor walked back to Rain and his daughters.

"Now you see why I warned you to stay away from him?" he said to Sokanon and Namid.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" Sokanon said as she, Namid and Rain came close to him.

"Yeah, jaw aches but I'll be alright," the Doctor said.

"I repeat, who owns this Quek?" the policeman asked as the rest of the Doctor's family came up to him.

"I doubt the owner is gonna come forward now," Dex said.

"Yeah, especially since his servant tried to kill two people," Nelak added.

"What's gonna happen to him?" Namid asked, looking his way.

"Well, if they can't find his owner, he could be sold to someone else or destroyed if he's viewed as a threat," Nelak said to her.

"You mean they might kill him?" Namid said.

"Depends on whether they think he might be a danger or not," Nelak said as Doc put a hand on her shoulder.

_Oh, please don't kill the Quek in front of the children,_ the Doctor thought to himself as he watched the policemen examine him_. I just got done taking out the memories of Namid being nearly burned alive._

They watched as one of the officers took off the Quek's leather coat and pulled up the sleeve of his black cotton shirt. On his inner wrist was a tattoo that resembled a barcode. One of the officers pulled out a scanner and scanned it, then read the display.

"Sasha Cor Darrow," the officer said aloud. "This Quek belongs to Sasha Cor Darrow, show yourself!"

The officer pushed a button on his scanner and a 3D holographic image appeared above it of a woman. She was tall and thin with long purple hair down to her waist and an Asian face. She was wearing a black shirt, red leather vest and khaki jodhpurs with thigh high black boots. The policeman scanned the crowd, comparing the image with those present while the Doctor and the adults in his family did the same but Sasha was nowhere to be found.

"Sargent, take the Quek away and keep it locked up until we find the owner," the officer with the scanner said.

They watched for a moment as the officers picked up the Quek and carried it away and then the crowd dispersed and went back to what they were doing.

"Daddy, will he be alright?" Sokanon said as they went back to browsing.

"I think so. They won't kill him till they find this Sasha," the Doctor said.

"What will they do to Sasha when they find her?" Namid said as she fiddled with her ereader, rewinding back so she could hear the parts she missed in the commotion.

"Well, it's against the law to leave a Quek unattended because they're unpredictable. You saw what it tried to do to me and that child. So I suspect if they find her, she'll go to prison."

Sokanon fell silent while she thought about that. Meanwhile, Namid found where she had last paid attention to the story and began again. The Doctor snickered and looked at Rain.

"And now we get to listen to the tale of Robocop, the boy who wouldn't grow up," he said as she snickered.

They paused when they passed by one booth and noticed Alan was trying on a bright red fez. He turned around and grinned at them.

"What's that, Uncle Alan?" Sokanon asked, pointing to it.

"It's a fez. I like fezzes, fezzes are cool," he said. "Do you think I should get it?"

The Doctor glanced over at Rose who was standing nearby and shaking her head vigorously.

"Um, I wouldn't if you wanna stay married, mate," the Doctor said as Rain giggled.

"You always take her side," Alan whined as he put the fez back.

He walked over to Namid and leaned over into her face.

"You do realize that cyborg voice is annoying, right?" he said to her.

"Tough! I'm gonna listen and you're gonna like it," Namid said as the Doctor patted her on the head.

Alan put his fingers on the ribbon.

"You know, this could mysteriously vanish," he said.

"So can you."

Rain and Rose bent over laughing when the Doctor said, "Oooo" to that.

"Permission to tickle, Brother?" Alan said to the Doctor.

"Permission granted."

Namid squealed and ran for her father's side as Alan laughed evilly. Alan looked down when Christopher came up beside him.

"What do you want?" Alan said.

"I'll tickle her, Daddy!" he squealed.

Alan raised his eyebrow when she lunged at her and tickled her armpits.

"Wow, I have a minion," he said to the Doctor. "I feel so important now."

"Well, call off your minion; she already had to rewind her ereader once."

"Oh crud, and that means prolonging the Cyborg Pan story. Down, Chris, come to me."

Christopher ran over to him and he patted him on the head.

"See, minion," he said proudly. "I have produced someone loyal to me."

"You suck, Daddy."

The Doctor, Rain and Rose bent over laughing as Alan's mouth dropped open as he stared at his giggling child.

"Fine. I'm swanning off now. Toodles," he said, walking away.

"Wait, I wanna come with you for awhile," Namid said, heading towards his voice.

"Why? So you can torment me with Cyborg Pan?"

"Okay, I'll turn it off then."

"No, you don't have to, I was only havin' ya on. You can leave it on and listen and yes, you can follow me as long as you fawn over me incessantly."

"I wouldn't do it, Mi-mi, that sounds like too much of a chore," Rain said.

"Nah, I love Uncle Alan."

Rain shrugged when Alan stuck his tongue out at her.

"Come Mi-mi, you and I will have some fun for awhile," he said, taking her hand.

"Yeah, well don't bring the police running back here when you have your "fun"," Rain said.

"Yada, yada, yada, buh-bye!" Alan said before he walked off with Namid.

"You know, dear, sometimes I completely understand why you booted him out the door of your TARDIS," Rain said as the Doctor grinned and winked.

He looked down at Sokanon and grabbed her hand.

"You! You will entertain me!" he said as she giggled. "You will accompany around the town and listen to me rabbit on about nothing!"

"No!" Sokanon said, dramatically as Rain tousled her hair.

"Mind if we join you?" Rose said, taking Christopher's hand.

"Ah, not at all, in fact…"

They watched as he walked over to a booth selling rugs and tapped Tara on the shoulder. She turned around and he seized her hand.

"Love me! I'm lonely!" he said dramatically as he pulled her away. "Come and entertain me and be my daughter!"

Tara laughed and walked with him.

"There, I have my daughter. I have my other daughter. Now where's my son?"

He looked around and saw Chaska laughing with Jack, Ianto, Doc and Namor as they walked around.

"Eh, leave my son for the moment, he's having fun. I'll have fun with my girls instead," he said. "Having said that, come along, my women!"

Rain, Tara and Sokanon smiled and walked with him as he headed back towards the pavement.


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter Seventy Two

Alan walked with Namid as they headed away from the bazaar back into the town. As he walked, he glanced down and smiled. He could tell that she was back to normal and that gave him a sense of relief. He had been worried that she would carry lingering memories of her ordeal but his brother seemed to have purged everything from her mind. She was listening to her ereader and even though the robot voice did get on his nerves he was happy she was happy, that to him was the most important thing.

They reached the pavement and turned right.

"Well, my Mi-mi, I wonder where this funfair and circus is at," he said to her. "We should go ahead and try to find it so we can get tickets for the show."

"Yeah," Namid said with a nod.

"We can keep in contact telepathically with the others while we do this. I've become bored by the bazaar and I wanted to take a stroll with ya."

"Me too. I can't see anything so it gets boring even if Daddy does show me what's going on."

"I can imagine, my Meemster," Alan said.

They fell silent for a few minutes while Namid listened to her ereader. Finally she looked up at Alan.

"Uncle Alan?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think that person will be alright? They're not gonna kill him, are they?"

Alan smiled tenderly at her and squeezed her hand.

"You and your sister and brother have so much compassion. Your father instilled that in you and I'm glad to see that it's taken root. It's what you need if you're going to travel full time with him someday," he said as they walked. "It's what Rose and I are trying to teach your cousin and all the kids. That you need to care about someone other than yourself. Excuse me, Ma'am," he said as he stopped an elderly woman. "Hi, we're looking for the funfair and circus. Which way is it?"

Namid listened while the lady gave him directions to it just on the outskirts of the town. She advised him to take the bus and where he should catch it and Alan thanked her before they moved on.

"Hear that, my Meemster, we have to get on the bus."

"You gonna cause trouble?" Namid said.

"Moi? I never cause trouble. Good as gold, me."

"Yeah, right."

"Just what are you implying?" Alan asked.

"I'm…saying that you're a big kid."

"True but I also know when to behave. I know the difference between riding quietly and singing Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of my lungs while riding the bus. I do. Okay, I do get a bit silly at times but I still know the difference."

Namid giggled and she squealed when Alan suddenly hoisted her up in the air and spun her around.

"A circus, we're going to a circus tonight!" he said, ignoring the odd looks of the people around them. "Say horray!"

"Horray!" Namid yelled.

He sat her back down.

"That's the spirit, Meemster Beemster, we're gonna see all sorts of cool things tonight. Ah, here is our bus stop."

"I dare ya to get on the bus and act silly," Namid said.

"Now, just one minute. Your father would flay me alive if I didn't act like a responsible uncle and make you behave," Alan said.

"One time when Daddy took me on our special night out, we went by this fountain and he took his shoes and socks off and rolled up his trousers and got in and danced around in it for me."

"Really?" Alan said with interest. "Trying to picture the old man doing that. Sit down on this bench, Mi-mi, gotta tell ya something."

He guided Namid to a wooden bench beside the bus stop and sat down beside her. He put his arm around her.

"Do you know about your daddy being sad for a long time?" he asked her.

"Yeah, daddy said that before he had all of us, he was very sad."

"Yes, he was. He didn't have much to live for back then. Life had worn him down and he was feeling his age and there were times when he didn't feel like getting out of his TARDIS and exploring. "

Namid shut off her ereader and listened quietly while Alan spoke to her.

"See, back then he didn't feel like doing silly things like dancing in fountains. He was mad at the universe and mad at his enemies and mad at himself and his hearts were heavy. That's why I'm glad he does do silly stuff with you and your brother and sister. He's changed so much in the past couple of centuries and it makes my hearts light knowing he's a happier man today."

"Because of us," Namid said happily.

"Yup, because of us," he said, ruffling her hair as she giggled.

_Which is why I'm thankful Brother rescued you in time from the flames,_ he thought to himself. _God, I don't know if I would have been able to cope with you being gone, Namid. You're one in a million, my niece. _

"Uncle Alan?"

"Hmm?"

"Watch."

Namid brought her father's mind forward and took a deep breath while she concentrated on it.

_HEY, DADDY, WE'RE TAKING A BUS TO THE CIRCUS!_ She screamed to him inside her mind.

Alan laughed when he felt his brother's shock and then he heard him chuckling.

_DON'T START THE CIRCUS WITHOUT US!_ The Doctor screamed back as everyone laughed.

_Hey, wait,_ Sokanon thought to them._ I wanna go to the circus. Don't go without me!_

_We're not going yet, Soki,_ Alan thought. _Mi-mi and I thought we'd go on ahead and see what time the show started and get the tickets before it's too late. We'll wait for ya._

_He felt her relief in his mind and smiled. _

_Let us know what time the show starts and how to get there, _the Doctor thought to him_._

_Well, it's outside town and they told us to take bus sixteen to get to it which is what we're waiting for now_, Alan thought back_. When you get back to the pavement, turn right and go 'bout a tenth of a mile, you'll see the bus stop._

_Great, we'll start over there in a few minutes. A couple of people are haggling for things and Mi-mi, Doc wants you to know he has something for you and he'll give it to you when he sees you._

_Yay! Thank you, Dada!_

_You're welcome, Ya'nala. Have fun with Alan and I'll see you at the funfair, _Doc thought to her.

Alan looked over to his right when he saw the bus slowing down and pulling up. He took Namid's hand while he thought to the others that the bus had arrived. As he and Namid waited for the bus to stop, he noticed a woman behind them with alabaster skin and long black hair walk up. He smiled hello to her and she did the same as the bus stopped. The door opened and the three of them got on, found seats near the back and sat down as the bus started up again.


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter Seventy Three

"Are you sure we're supposed to be in here?" seven year old David asked as his seven year old cousin nodded and Cam peeked around the corner, looking into the gallery.

"Daddy lets me come in here all the time," Cam said as they walked by the paintings and he pointed to the large landscape hanging on the wall. "See, that's our Gallifrey."

"Wow, it's awesome!" David said as he looked at it then they walked by some of the statues and mobiles. "My daddy said that your daddy lost his original TARDIS during a time storm and Uncle Doctor grew him another one."

"Yep, he found a piece of her original coral and it grew back into a TARDIS."

"And she replaced the stuff that got destroyed?" David asked as they walked by a statue of Rose and both of them titled his head to one side. "Is that my mommy?"

"I think so. Daddy said he did that after Aunt Marion was turned into a statue."

"Oh, yeah, my daddy told me that story. He wrote a book about it. I think he called it Clay Rose," David said as they walked along then he stopped at a painting of Jamie and smiled. "There's Uncle Jamie."

"What is he wearing?"

"That his kilt."

"No, I mean that," he said, pointing to the sheath on Jamie's belt.

"Oh, that's his dirk. It's a small knife that Highlanders wore or had tucked in their socks."

"Why would someone want a knife in their sock?" Cam asked and David shrugged. They kept walking when they came to a dark room and the boys peeked inside the room. "What's in here?"

They walked inside when the lights came on and nine display cases stood at the center of the room. Walking closer, they noticed that the first display case had a dress dummy wearing gray checked trousers, a gray vest, a white shirt, black shoes, white socks, a black tie and a black waistcoat and a thin black cane stood next to the dressing dummy. Next to the display case was a portrait of the first Doctor and they looked at it.

"Who is that?" Cam asked when, suddenly, the first Doctor opened his eyes and blinked at them.

"I would be asking you the same thing, hm," the first Doctor said and they slowly backed up. "Oh, there is no need to fear. I can't hurt you. I'm just a portrait. Now, come along, who are you two?"

"I'm Cameron and this is my cousin, David," Cam said and David shyly waved at the portrait.

"Ah, yes, he told me about you two."

"Who did?"

"Why, your father, of course. You see, he comes in here from time to time and talks to me."

"Or he talks to me," a voice behind the display case said and the boys walked around it and blinked. In the display case was a dress dummy wearing baggy, grey checked trousers, a white shirt, a black waist coat, a black bow tie, white socks and black shoes. A red handkerchief stuck out of the jacket pocket and a recorder was on a small plastic shelf. Next to the display case was a portrait of the second Doctor and he sweetly smiled at them.

"Ignore the little clown and come back over here," the first Doctor said and the second Doctor scrunched his face. They watched as the second Doctor left the portrait and they followed it back to the first Doctor's portrait. The second Doctor stood nose to nose with the first Doctor and growled.

"I have told you numerous times not to call me that!" the second Doctor shouted when they started arguing and Cam cupped his mouth, trying not to laugh. David pointed to the next display case when they looked at the dress dummy and it was wearing black trousers, white socks, black shoes, a black jacket, a black bow tie, a white shirt with ruffles on the front and ruffled cuffs and a black opera cape was draped over the shoulders. A set of car keys sat on the plastic shelf when they heard sighing and looked at the portrait of the third Doctor.

"Here we go again," he said then looked at the boys and smiled. "Oh, hello, didn't see you there."

"Do they always argue like that?" David asked.

"Oh, yes, if that little fool isn't arguing with him then he's…" the third Doctor said when the second Doctor appeared in the third Doctor's portrait and glared at him.

"I heard that! At least I'm not some gangly giant!" the second Doctor said and they started arguing. David and Cam smiled when they heard someone whistling and headed for the next display case. The dress dummy was dressed in a floppy brown hat, a long brown coat, brown trousers, a brown jacket, a grey vest, a white shirt, a black tie, brown shoes and a long multi-colored scarf that reached to the floor. On the plastic shelf was a white paper bag and JELLY BABIES was on the card above the bag.

"Over here," the voice said as they looked at the fourth Doctor's portrait and he gave them a big grin.

"My daddy told me about you. You were the one who traveled with Aunt Sarah Jane," David said and the fourth Doctor nodded.

"Mind telling me what you two are doing in here?" he asked.

"We were just looking around," Cam said when a hand appeared to the right of the portrait and wiggled its finger at them then pointed to the next display case.

"Oh, he's not going to go away unless you go," the fourth Doctor sighed and they walked to the next display case. The dress dummy was dressed in a floppy off white hat, a tan coat with red trim and a piece of celery on the lapel, a white shirt, a tan sweater vest with black and red stripes forming a V at the top, tan trousers and white converse sneakers. A cricket ball sat on the plastic shelf and the portrait of the fifth Doctor softly coughed, causing them to walk closer.

"Hello," he said and they nodded.

"My daddy told me that you're his favorite Doctor," Cam said and the fifth Doctor shyly smiled.

"I remember meeting him. He left the shields down and our TARDISes smacked into each other."

"Yes, because he's a bloody git," a voice said at the back of the room and they walked to the display case. The dressing dummy was wearing a black leather jacket, a black t-shirt, black jeans and black boots. On the plastic shelf was a billfold with psychic paper in it and they looked at the portrait of the ninth Doctor. "Not only that but he lets Rose get sucked into another dimension. Does he even try to rescue her? No, she has to do it herself and he gives her that chopped off body part to spend forever with."

"That chopped off body part is his father!" the fifth Doctor said when he appeared in the ninth Doctor's portrait and pointed at David, who looked like he wanted to punch someone.

"I know that, you cricket playing wimp! I was just saying…" the ninth Doctor said as they started arguing and Cam led David toward the next display case. The dress dummy was wearing black shoes with white spats, yellow striped trousers, a blue vest, a white shirt with little question marks on the collar, a blue ascot and a multi-colored coat. A cork board with cat pins was sitting on the shelf and they looked at the portrait of the sixth Doctor. He had his fingers in his ears as they smiled at him and he lowered his arms.

"And what are you two laughing at? I do not want to listen to the din," he said with a smug tone to his voice and placed his fingers back in his ears. The fifth Doctor ran into the sixth Doctor's portrait when he pulled the sixth Doctor's fingers out of his ears and winked at the boys.

"Meow!" he shouted then put the sixth Doctor's fingers back into his ears and the sixth Doctor growled.

"Oh, so that's how you want, eh?" he said then ran out of the portrait and the boys looked at each other.

"This is better than the paintings in Harry Potter!" David said while they watched the fifth Doctor run from one portrait to the other and the other Doctors ducked out of the way. Walking to the next display case, they looked at the dress dummy wearing a tan hat, a tan coat with red trim, a white shirt, a red tie, tan checked trousers, brown shoes and a yellow sweater vest with blue zigzag stripes and red question marks on it. A pair of spoons sat on the plastic shelf and they walked to the portrait of the seventh Doctor but he wasn't in it. Slowly he peeked up at them then stood up and shrugged.

"Hullo," he said with a Scottish accent and smiled at them.

"You sound like Uncle Jamie," Cam said and the seventh Doctor laughed.

"Yes, I guess I do," he said with a nod of his head then grunted as the fifth and sixth Doctors smashed into him and he fell out of the portrait. His right hand appeared as he pulled himself up then brushed out his clothes and stuck the hat on his head.

"Are you ok?" Cam asked.

"Oh, yes, I'm…" he said when the second Doctor crashed into him and the third Doctor chased after the second Doctor. Growling after standing up, the seventh Doctor pushed his hat forward then ran after the third and second Doctors and the boys laughed.

"Wait for me!" the ninth Doctor shouted as he ran by and the boys turned, walking to the last display case. It was sitting in the darkest corner of the room as the light shimmered inside the display case and the dressing dummy was wearing black shoes, brown trousers, brown vest, brown ascot, a white shirt, and a black coat. A sonic screwdriver sat on the plastic shelf as they looked at the portrait of the eighth Doctor and noticed how sad he looked.

"Are you alright?" Cam asked as the eighth Doctor slowly lifted his head and nodded.

"EXTERMINATE!" someone shouted as the eight Doctor jumped and spun around in a circle, a look of pure terror in his eyes.

"Right, this ends now!" a voice shouted as the boys turned around and Theta walked closer, placing his hands on their shoulders. "Everyone, back into his portrait, and, whoever said that, come over here and say you're sorry!"

"Bite me!" a voice said as he walked to the ninth Doctor's portrait and glared at him.

"Oh, so it was you, eh?"

"Who else?" he said and Theta growled.

"Get over there and tell him you're sorry," Theta said as his eyes went dark and the ninth Doctor snorted, cocking his head at him.

"That doesn't work on me, Pretty Boy," he said when Theta grabbed hold of the frame the portrait sat in and the ninth Doctor gasped. "Oi, where are you taking me?"

"I'm putting you in time out!" he said as he walked to the corner and placed the portrait against the wall, checking to see if the ninth Doctor was still there.

"Bugger," the ninth Doctor sighed as he looked at the wall and Theta walked away. The boys tried not to laugh as he walked closer and looked down at them.

"Who are they, Daddy?" Cam asked.

"They're me," Theta said.

"Oh, you mean these are your former lives," David said and Theta nodded.

"Now, mind telling me what you're doing in here?" Theta asked and they heard a soft ticking sound.

"That's what I would like to know, dear boy," the first Doctor said as they looked at Theta and he placed his hands on his hips, waiting for an answer.

"We were just looking around," Cam said and Theta nodded.

"Do you really talk to them?" David asked, pointing to the portraits.

"Yep," Theta said, nodding his head.

"Why?" Cam asked.

"Well, sometimes I need to talk about things that are bothering me and who better to talk to than myself?" Theta said with a grin and they softly laughed. "Now, say goodbye and let's go. Dinner's ready."

The boys said their goodbyes then Theta led them out of the room and the second Doctor smiled.

"What nice boys," he said when the fifth Doctor snuck up behind the sixth Doctor and grinned.

"Look at me! I'm Docto the Clown!" he shouted when the sixth's Doctor's eyes bugged out and he growled.

"Right," he said then chased the fifth Doctor and the first Doctor sighed, shook his head and walked out of his portrait.


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter Seventy Four

After getting on the bus, Alan and Namid found seats in the back while the woman sat in the seat in front of them. Alan grabbed Namid's arms, held them in front of her chest and rotated them around each other.

"The wheels on the bus go round and round," he sang as Namid giggled, "round and round, round and round, the wheels on the bus go round and round all through the town."

He stopped singing but Namid kept rotating her arms. Alan grabbed them.

"Oh no, the bus crashed!" he said as Namid laughed.

"You crashed my bus," Namid said to him.

"No, I didn't, it was your driving that did that."

Namid giggled, poked his side and ducked down in the seat when she felt Alan breathing hard on her hair.

"You poked me," he said as Namid giggled harder.

She laughed harded as she poked him again and felt Alan pressing down on her head with his face.

"I will not tolerate your sticky finger in my ribs and oi!" he said when Namid poked him again.

"You're good with children.'

Alan looked at the woman in front of them who was watching him play with Namid. He smiled.

"Well, I'm a bit of a kid myself," he said to her. "I don't believe in growing up completely."

"Is that why you still poop in your nappies?"

"Oi," Alan said as Namid giggled. "I'm talking to the nice lady, zip your lip!"

"What's wrong with her?" the woman said, staring at Namid's eyes.

"Nothing's wrong with me," Namid said, frowing while Alan gave her a proud smile.

"No, I mean, I'm not trying to be rude but her eyes..."

"I'm blind, lady, but that doesn't mean anything's wrong with me," Namid said angrily.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just wondered why she was looking past me," the woman said.

"Sorry, it's just that her father has instilled in her since birth that she can do anything and be anything she wants to be," Alan said as Namid raised her chin proudly. "No one in my family treats her blindness as a handicap so she doesn't either."

"I can take care of myself and do anything i want, there's nothing wrong with me," Namid said.

"Well, that's good, dear," the woman said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interupt your teasing. I just noticed you at the bus stop and i thought i'd say hello. My name is Marian."

"I'm Alan and this is my niece, Namid."

"Hello," Namid said, waving.

"Are you on your way to the funfair?" Marian asked.

"Yup, we're gonna find out about the circus tonight," Namid said.

"Oh, how nice," Marian said.

"Yeah, there's more of us and our family is going out for an evening of fun," Alan said. "In fact, I gather that's it right there," he added, pointing out the window to a huge field that had several amusement park rides and a huge circus tent in the distance.

"Yes, that's the carnival grounds," Marian said.

Alan pulled the cord above his head and the bus came to a stop.

"Nice to meet ya, Marian," he said as he and Namid got up.

They walked up to the front and got off in front of the main gate. They walked throught the wooden arch onto the field and looked around. Besides several rides there were booths for games and snacks but as far as Alan could see there were no people.

"Huh, it's deserted, Meemster," he said as he and Namid walked.

"Why?"

"Well, it's gone eleven which means most people are probably at work and children are in school. I'm sure the funfair opens in the evening and we're very early," Alan said.

"So what do we do?" Namid asked.

"Well, surely there are people around who are in charge of things, security guards, workers, someone who will tell us where to go. Come on, we'll find em."

They walked further into the funfair, Alan frowning as he looked left and right for someone who could help them.

"Find anyone, Uncle Alan."

"No, love, maybe everyone's off on their lunch break," he said. "Come on, we'll try the circus tent. Surely someone is there."

Alan shook his head as he kept on walking and saw no one.

"Where in the blazes is everyone?" he said.

"Maybe they ran away whenthey smelled your BO."

"Oh ha ha," Alan said, looking down at her.

He was about to turn his attention back to the tent when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked behind him and jumped when he saw Marian standing there.

"Oh," he said, stopping Namid. "Blimey, why didn't you say something? I didn't even know you were back there."

"Is it a worker, Uncle Alan?" Namid asked.

"No, it's Marian. She's been following us all this time."

"I'm sorry, i was gonna say something but you were busy looking so i thought i'd help you look."

"Oh, well, next time speak up. I'm kinda paranoid about people following me like that. I've had bad experiences with it."

"Really? What sort of experiences?"

"Let's just say that i've met a few bad apples in my time," Alan said. "Anyway, back to looking."

He turned and he and Namid walked on towards the tent while Marian followed.

"By the way, did you see the Quek rampage today?"

"Did i see it? I helped stop the Quek before it killed two kids," Alan said, talking while he looked around. "The owner was completely irresponsible, leaving it there unsupervised."

"It wasn't unsupervised."

Alan stopped Namid and turned to her.

"How do you know?"

Marian came up close to him.

"Because the Quek belonged to me."

Alan was shocked.

"You?" he said. "Nah, nah, nah, nah, the officer who did the scan said it beloned to Sasha someone and the woman had purple hair."

"I know. That's who originally owned the Quek. I killed her and stole it."

"Uncle Alan?" Namid said fearfully.

Alan stared at Marian for a moment and then suddenly he sprang on her.

"Namid, turn and run! Get away!" he said as he wrestled with Marian.

Namid turned and ran blindly away as she heard the sounds of fighting behind her.

_Daddy! Help! Uncle Alan's in trouble!_ She thought to the Doctor as she ran.

She sensed his alarm.

_Mi-mi? Where are you, love?_ He thought back.

_The funfair. This woman followed us and she was the owner of that slave person and now Uncle Alan's fighting with her and i'm running away._

_Hang on, sweetie, stay away from her if you can. We're going to the TARDIS now,_ the Doctor thought.

Namid heard a loud grunt and felt Alan's mind leaving her own. She froze, her hearts pounding as she heard Marian laughing.

"Thought you could knock me out, eh? Well, Skinny Boy, looks like you're the one unconscious!" she heard Marian crow.

Namid started to run again. Suddenly, her foot connected with a rock and she fell hard to the ground. She started to get up when she felt someone grab her.

"Thought you could do anything, Mi-mi," Marian taunted. "Looks like your blindness is a handicap after all!"

"What happened to Uncle Alan?"

"Your "Uncle Alan" is coming with me. He cost me my Quek so he's gonna take his place. As for you, i don't want a blind girl since you'd be a nuisence. Despite what your father thinks, you are a nuisence and an inconvience to your family."

"Leave us alone!" Namid said.

She gasped when Marian shoved her hard to the ground.

"Eat dirt, Blind Girl!" she said. "And kiss your uncle goodbye because I'm transmatting him outta here. Bye now, you sightless, useless freak!"

Namid gritted her teeth. She tried to get up but Marian shoved her back to the ground so hard it knocked the wind outta her. She felt tears well up as she heard Marian walk away. She waited till she heard a swooshing noise and sensed she was gone before she got to her feet. Her knees were skinned and they ached as she held her arms out and tried to find somewhere to sit down.

_Daddy, Daddy, that lady's gone, she took Uncle Alan with her and I'm all alone,_ she thought, suddenly hating that she had to have her father come and help her. Marian's taunts rang in her ears and she did feel like an inconvience as she slowly walked along.

_I'm coming, love, we'll be there shortly. We're in the TARDIS and she's tracking your energy signature. Just keep calm,_ the Doctor thought back.

Namid sank to the ground, drew her skinned knees up to her chest and began to weep angry tears. She cried harder and was still crying when the TARDIS finally landed beside her. She was crying so hard that she didn't hear it so when her mother knelt by her, she let out a shocked yell.

"Baby, I'm sorry, it's me," Rain said, stroking her head.

Namid cried harder and kept on crying, even when she felt the Doctor and Doc kneel down and come in close to her.

"Mi-mi?" the Doctor said, hugging her. "Love, are you alright?"

Namid kept on crying as the Doctor kissed her head.

"It's alright," he soothed as he examined her skinned knees. "We're here and I'll have your knees right as rain in a moment."

She heard felt him pressing the rejuvenator to her kneecap and heard the hum as he turned it on.

"Mi-mi, what happened?" the Doctor said as he healed her knees.

"I don't know, Daddy. I can't see cause i'm blind!" Namid retorted.

She heard the rejuvenator shut off and sensed everyone staring at her.

"Well, it's true," she said when no one answered. "I'm just a blind, useless freak who has to have everyone come and rescue her cause I can't do anything for myself!"

There was dead silence for a moment.

"Why do i get the feeling someone said that to her?" Awinita finally said.

"Yeah, that...woman that took Uncle Alan said it to me and it's true!" Namid said. "I'm useless. Uncle Alan got kidnapped and i could't help him cause I CAN'T SEE!"

Namid heard someone curse low under his breath. He thought it was Jack but she couldn't be sure. Then she sensed everyone was moving away from her except for her parents and she heard the TARDIS door opening and closing. Not knowing what was going on made her cry again and she shook with her sobs while her parents scooted closer to her.

"Mi-mi, listen," the Doctor said. "Will you dry your tears for just a second so we can talk to you?"

"Is everyone leaving?" Namid asked. "I heard the TARDIS door close."

"No, i put up a privacy block around their minds and asked for the three of us to be alone with you for a minute because we need to address this. I refuse to believe that one little taunt has made you lose all your self confidence. I think you've always felt this way deep down inside and her words and the fact that you couldn't help your uncle made these feelings come to the surface. Am I right?"

"Will you laugh at me if I tell you the truth?"

"No. I want you to tell me the truth so we can help you," the Doctor said. "You're not totally useless. You just deduced from your hearing alone that everyone except me and Dada and Mum went inside the TARDIS and closed the door."

"I just hate being blind," Namid said, reaching down she felt a blade of grass, pulled it up and tossed it.

"Can I tell you the truth?" the Doctor said.

"Yeah."

"I hate it too. I hate that you can't see and we have to mentally show you everything. I would give anything for you to see but at the moment you can't and you have to deal with it which you had been doing beautifully or so I thought since I see you were hiding alot of your true feelings and it's led to this which is why I keep telling you to come to us and talk. Now, as for your being a useless freak, not only did you notice that everyone went inside the TARDIS and closed the door but most of the time you can tell who's around you by their smell or the way they walk or you're able to sense it. Any thoughts, gang? Wanna help me out here?"

"You're able to get dressed by yourself and you walk around the house without your cane, " Rain said. "You help me in the kitchen. You can operate everything on that ereader of yours except choosing the story and you can operate alot of electronics and appliances besides that."

"You changed me back into my normal self after I'd been the Valeyard. I'd say that was a huge help in my case," Doc said.

"You help me fly the TARDIS," the Doctor pointed out. "I just had to teach you how to count over from where my monitor was to find the button or gizmo and you do that. And building on what Brother just said, you not only helped him, you faced the Master and survived that and that's a big plus in my book. You sit here and cry because you couldn't rescue Alan but I have a feeling Alan told you to run, didn't he?"

Namid hesitated and then nodded.

"But I wanted to help him."

"I know, love, but you did the right thing by running," Doc said. "It wouldn't have done us any good to have you both kidnapped."

"Which brings me back to my question, what happened. Did she say or do anything that you heard?" the Doctor said.

Namid sniffed as they rubbed her back.

"Baby, what happened. Did this person say who they were?" Rain said gently.

"Marian," Namid said as they comforted her with love in her mind. "She...she's the one that owned the slave person and she took Alan cause she was mad that he caused her to lose him. She was on the bus with us and talking to us and she asked what was wrong with me and I said nothing was wrong with me because you always say I'm normal like everyone else."

"And you are, Ya'nala," Doc said.

"That's why she called me a freak, I s'pose," Namid said, pulling at another blade of grass. "Cause I sassed off to her about that."

"Perhaps but if she's the sort to own slaves, I'm sure she's just an arrogant git," the Doctor said.

"She said she killed the original owner, that Sasha person the police were looking for. She stole that slave person from her and she said she was nearby watching cause Alan said no one was looking after the slave person and...and she said she was gonna take Uncle Alan and he shoved her and they fought and she...transmatted him away with her."

"Now see, you aren't useless, you gave us all that information," the Doctor said.

Namid nodded and all of them kissed her. Rain hugged her and whispered in her ear how proud she was of her while the Doctor quickly healed her other knee. Then, Doc picked up Namid and held her close while Namid wrapped her arms around his neck. The Doctor went inside the TARDIS and found everyone else inside the console room.

"Is everything okay?" Ianto asked.

"I think everything's sorted now," the Doctor said, glancing at Namid and giving her back a quick rub. "I think we managed to mend her self esteem."

"We did a scan and we found Alan's artron energy," Jack said.

"Brilliant, let's go get our funnyman back then so we can go to the circus tonight!" the Doctor said.

He gave Namid a quick kiss and whispered his love for her in her ear as she smiled. Then he ran over to the console and began to power up the TARDIS.


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter Seventy Five

Amos

The lush green leaves blew slowly in the warm breeze while the Amos flew from one nest like structure to the other and sounds of chirps, warbles and squawks filled the air. The largest of the nest like structures sat at the center of the tallest tree in the forest and large spiraling towers rose toward the sky.

Standing near the window, King Daros watched his subjects when he turned and headed for the throne. His bright red feathers shone in the light from the torches while several feather stood out on the top of his head. His black eyes blinked while he folded the large wings against his back and sat down on the throne, folding his hands over the arms of the throne. He was wearing a gold robe with white accents and golden sandals on his feet. On the ring finger of his right hand was a gold signet ring with the royal seal engraved on the top and three silver rings sat on the fingers of his left hand. Around his neck was a gold chain and a large red ruby sat in the amulet at the end of the chain. Above the black feathers that were his eyebrows sat a gold crown with rubies embedded in it and Daros rapped his fingers on the arm of the throne.

It had been almost a year since the civil war ended and he had conquered those that had the nerve to rebel against him. He had taken great pleasure in publicly execute the former king, Pothos, and his wife but he was furious that the princess had escaped.

"Damn, Gimalt, where have you hidden her?" he growled when the doors to the throne room opened and an Amos guard walked toward the throne. His bright blue and green feathers gleamed as his yellow eyes looked straight ahead and his wings were folded against his back. He was dressed in a black armor vest, a black helmet and black boots and three metal armbands clung to his biceps. He had a sword hanging in a scabbard on his belt and the sword gently swung back and forth against his hips. The guard knelt down on one knee as he looked down at the floor and pounded his fist against his chest.

"Sire," he said as Daros sighed and cupped his head in his right hand.

"What is it, Tarmez?" he asked and Tarmez looked up at him.

"A trade ship from Ballnari III has arrived and the captain had given me some information I thought you needed to hear immediately."

"What is this information?"

"He told me that he has seen an Amos on the planet of New Gallifrey," he said as Daros sat up and leaned half way off the throne.

"What?"

"He told me that he was on New Gallifrey when he saw an Amos working at the docking bay. Curious, he followed the Amos and noticed that there were several of them. What he found interesting was the Amos baby he saw at a park."

"What was so interesting about the baby?"

"He took a picture of it and gave it to me," Tarmez said as Daros waved for him to stand up and Tarmez stood up, walking to the throne. He took the hologram photograph out of the pouch on his belt then handed it to Daros and Daros looked at the photograph. Holding Aderyn in the air, Koschei smiled while Julie laughed and Adeyn had her arms out to her side, her wings were sticking up on her back. Daros scrunched the photograph in his hands when he stood up and a loud squawk filled the air.

"No! This cannot be! She is alive?" he shouted as Tarmez stood up and looked at him. Daros tossed the photograph across the room when he turned to Tarmez and growled. "I want you to take a squad to this New Gallifrey and I want you to bring her here!"

"Yes, Sire," Tarmez said as he pounded his fist on his chest and walked to the doors. He left the room as Daros walked to the window and looked out at the others. Tossing his head back, he screamed as the others looked at the large nest like structure and blinked.

New Gallifrey

"Peep…Peepa…Peep," Aderyn said while she sat in the pushchair and snuggled with her teddy bear. She was wearing a white, backless t-shirt, denim overalls, white socks and white converse sneakers. A pair of white frame sunglasses covered her eyes and she gently tapped her feet together. Koschei and Julie had asked nearly sixteen year old Namid to watch her while they were planning for Aderyn's birthday party. They had decided to pick a day to celebrate Aderyn's birth since they didn't know when she was born and the Doctor agreed to have the party at his house. After several rejected dates, they decided on the eighteenth of April and that was three days away. Namid was listening to her MP3 player when she noticed someone coming closer and smiled.

"Hello, Teacher," Namid said as she stopped and took the ear bus out of her ears. Stopping and holding the stick in his hands, Hamish smiled and Aderyn looked up at him, blinking her eyes. He was wearing a blue t-shirt, jeans, a black leather belt, a denim jacket and white converse sneakers and his light brown hair was tied back with a brown cord.

"Hello, Namid, and you dinnae have tae call me that outside of class," he said with a grin.

"Sorry, Hamish, where are you going?"

"I was just out for a walk," he said when Aderyn started peeping and he reached out with his right hand. "Ah, that sounds like a wee birdie."

"Hammy!" Aderyn said as he found the edge of the pushchair and knelt down on his knees.

"There she is!" he said as he gently went forehead to forehead with Aderyn and she rubbed her hands against his cheeks. "Have you been good for Namid?"

"Aye!" Aderyn chirped and he smiled. Suddenly he stood up when he closed his eyes and held the stick tightly in his hands. Namid looked around as he slowly tilted his head side to side and she placed her hand on his arm.

"What's wrong?" she whispered while he placed his finger to his lips and hushed her.

"I hear something," he whispered as she bent down and picked Aderyn up, holding her in her arms. A warm wind moved through the leaves while they stood still on the pavement and fear started creeping into her mind.

"_Rainbow, are you alright?" _the Doctor thought after feeling the fear in her mind and she held Aderyn against her chest.

"_I don't know, Daddy. I'm with Aderyn and Hamish and Hamish hears something," _Namid thought and Hamish moved the Doctor's mind forward.

"_Hamish, what are you hearing?" _the Doctor thought and Hamish held the stick in both hands, angling it in front of his chest.

"_It sounds like….no, that cannae be. It sounds like wings," _Hamish thought as Namid smiled and looked around for birds in the sky. She knew what it was like to be blind but Hamish's hearing was better than hers and saw only a few birds in the sky.

"Are you talking about those birds?" she asked then showed Hamish what she was looking at but he shook his head, moving around her and Aderyn.

"It's much bigger," he said when several shadows appeared overhead and Namid looked up, seeing the Amos flying toward them.

"_Daddy, there Amos here but they don't like Gimalt or Tersha," _she thought then showed the Doctor what the Amos looked like.

"_They look like soldiers. Namid, where are you?"_ he thought when the Amos landed and Tarmez walked toward them.

"Hand over the child!" he said when Aderyn started crying and Hamish walked in front of them, holding the stick firmly in his hands.

"No," Hamish growled and Tarmez looked at Hamish's eyes.

"Stand aside, Sightless One, this does not concern you," he said and Hamish growled.

"If it concerns the bairn then it does."

"Stand aside. I do not want to harm you," Tarmez said as he gently pushed Hamish back and Namid gently rocked Aderyn, hushing her.

"_Daddy, help, they want to take Aderyn," _Namid thought.

"_Don't worry, Love, I contacted Koschei and we're coming!" _he thought when Tarmez walked closer then stopped when Hamish smacked the stick into Tarmez' stomach.

"Keep away from the bairn!" he said and two of the other Amos guards aimed their laser blasters at him.

"_Daddy, they have guns and are going to shoot Hamish!" _Namid thought, gently rocking Aderyn.

"Namid, listen tae me, I want you tae run," Hamish said and she looked at him.

"No, Daddy's coming and he'll handle it," she said but he shook his head, holding the stick in his hands.

"Right, as your teacher, I order you tae run!" Hamish said as the Amos guards came closer and he swirled the stick around in a circle then held it under his arm.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tarmez asked as Hamish smiled and wiggled two fingers at him.

"Run!" Hamish shouted when Namid nodded and ran.

"_Daddy, hurry, Hamish is going to fight them!" _she thought.

"_Hamish, don't fight them!" _the Doctor thought when Hamish heard footsteps coming closer and Tarmez watched as the Doctor and Koschei ran toward them. Nodding, Tarmez pointed toward Namid and Aderyn and two of the Amos flew into the air.

"Leave my daughter alone!" Koschei shouted when he held his hand up and two lightning bolts flew out from his hands. The Amos guard flew around the lightning bolts as the Doctor ran to Tarmez and placed his hand on Hamish's arm.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Doctor demanded and Tarmez smirked at him.

"We are here for the princess," Tarmez said and the Doctor blinked.

"Are you here to take her home because the civil war is over and it's safe for her to return to Amos?" he asked when they heard Namid scream and the two Amos guard lifted her and Aderyn off the ground. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"We are here for the princess and that is all you need to know," Tarmez said as Koschei ran to the Doctor and took aim at the Amos guards.

"No, Kosch, you'll make them drop Namid and Aderyn!" the Doctor said and Koschei sighed, lowering his hands,

"But, Doctor, you cannae…" Hamish said as Tarmez blinked and looked at the Doctor.

"You are the Doctor?" he asked and the Doctor glared at him, his eyes turning jet black.

"Yep," the Doctor said, popping the "p". Before they could move, Tarmez made a high pitched whistle and flew into the air. The Amos guards followed as they flew away and Koschei fell to his knees.

"No," he said over and over as the Doctor knelt down next to him and placed his hand on Koschei's shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll get them back," he said softly and Koschei nodded. They stood up as Hamish reached out his hand and the Doctor took his hand.

"Doctor, I normally dinnae ask but I want tae come with you," he said and the Doctor looked at Koschei. He knew that Jamie would be pissed off if anything happened to Hamish as he sighed and patted Hamish's hand.

"No, Ham, I can't let you come with us. But you can go and tell Rain and Julie what happened and stay with them until we come back," he said and Hamish frowned.

"Aye, Doctor, I understand," he said with a nod of his head and headed down the pavement.

"_Thete, what's going on? Why is Namid screaming in her head?" _Rain thought and the Doctor sighed.

"_Some Amos guards came and kidnapped her and Aderyn. Koschei and I are going after them. I'm sending Hamish to fill you and Julie in on what happened and I want you to take them to the house and wait until we come back," _ he thought and send love into her mind.

"_Want me to come, Brother?" _Alan thought.

"_Count me and John in," _Amato thought.

"_And Adam and I," _Duer thought when the Doctor heard the others asking to come and he smiled. He knew that he could count on his ever expanding family when something happened but he saw the look on Koschei's face and Koschei balled his hands into fists.

"_As much as I'd love all of you to come, I'm going to get my kid back on my own," _Koschei thought then smiled at the Doctor. _"Well, the Doctor's going to help me, but I need to do this."_

"_Of all of us, I know how you feel, Mate," _Adam thought and Koschei smiled. _"But there is safety in numbers."_

"_Yeah, what he said," _Alan said and the Doctor looked at Koschei.

"Well?" he asked and Koschei sighed.

"_Fine, anyone that wants to come with us, be at the Doctor's house in ten minutes," _Koschei thought as they turned and ran down the pavement.


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter Seventy Six

"Wondeeful," Alan muttered as he lay bound hand and foot in Marian's ship. "Start out the day going to the circus, end the day a mindless slave. Sometimes I think I need a holiday from being a Time Lord. At least the bitch didn't take Mi-mi, I hope she's alright."

He searched for her mind and found it.

_The wheels on the bus go round and round,_ he sang to her mind.

_Uncle Alan? _Mi-mi thought back_. Are you okay?_

_Well, apart from being trussed up like a calf in a rodeo, I'm just peachy, Meemster. You okay?"_

_Yeah, I fell and hurt my knees and I got upset cause I didn't help you._

_You helped me. You ran. That was helping me since you didn't get caught._

_Is she hurting you? _

_Not yet. And if I have my way, she won't. _

_We're coming to get you, Uncle Alan, so you can relax._

_Aw, well, I figured you were gonna do that anyway, my Meemster Teamster. I'll just relax as much as I can with my hands and feet bound and wait._

Alan raised his head when he heard the TARDIS materialize beside him.

"Wow, that was a very short relaxation period," he said.

The door opened and the Doctor stuck his head out.

"Yeah," he said, leaning back inside, "he's done up like a Christmas goose but he's fine."

"Oh yuk, yuk, come and get me and get me out of here," Alan said.

Sokanon led Namid outside the door.

"Meemster!"

"Wheels On The Bus!" Namid exclaimed.

"Ugh! Is that my new nickname, you can keep it!" Alan said as they laughed.

The others came outside. Alan smiled at Namor.

"Hi, having fun being a renegade Time Lord?" he said as everyone laughed.

"Um, well, it hasn't been dull, I'll say that much," Namor said.

Jack handed him a knife.

"Here ya go, get in there and get your hands dirty," he said as everyone laughed.

"Wait, is it wise to have the newbie do the cutting? I wanna walk out of here with my wrists intact!" Alan said as he bent down.

"I'll be careful, sheesh," Namor said as he held his wrists steady.

Everyone snickered when Alan let out a yelp the moment Namor started to cut. He apologized when Namor eyed him.

"Sorry, couldn't resist, mate," Alan said.

Namor freed him and he sat up as he rubbed his wrists.

"Thanks, Namor, that feels better," he said to him as he got up.

He picked Namid up and spun her around.

"You…are wonderful. You brought the troops here," he said to her as he hugged her tightly. "You saved me from becoming a mindless Quek which is, I think, that woman's plans."

"Now what do we do?" Awinita asked. "Jump the woman when she comes back in?"

The Doctor scratched his chin thoughtfully. Suddenly, he ran back inside while everyone else watched him.

"What's he up to?" Rose asked.

The Doctor came outside five minutes later with several perception filters and some rope.

"I boosted the TARDISes perception filter so it'll be practically invisible," the Doctor said, "and I want us to all wear perception filters. And Alan, I need you to get tied up again and I want you to find out who Marian is and what she wants."

"Again?" Alan said, looking at the ropes, "not too tight then, alright? My wrists are still hurting from the last time."

They tied him up again and made it look like he had never been freed while the Doctor passed out the perception filters. As he put them around the kid's necks, he instructed them that they had to stand still and not talk so they wouldn't be seen. Alan tried to make himself comfortable while everyone else waited by the TARDIS for Marian to come in. Much to Alan's relief, it was only another ten minutes before she put in an appearance. He stiffened when she came in and relaxed when she took no notice of the TARDIS.

"'Bout time," Alan said. "My wrists and ankles are getting chaffed. It's getting a tad uncomfortable."

"You'll feel even more uncomfortable if you don't shut up," Marian said.

"You know, there's no need to be rude," Alan said. "I would like to be your friend if you'd let me."

Marian snorted.

"I don't make friends with anyone," she said.

"Yeah, cause you enslave them all," Alan said. "Or murder them."

Marian smirked.

"Murdering people is my profession. I'm an assassin for hire."

"I see," Alan said as the Doctor and his family shared looks, "and are you good at what you do?"

"Good? Sweetie, I was born to be an assassin," Marian boasted.

"Really? Why is that?"

Alan's eyes went wide as she suddenly shapeshifted into a young black girl.

"I see. You're a shapeshifter," he said.

"Yes, we Ulu have a natural talent for it."

"Ulu? You're an Ulu?" Alan said.

"Yes. I am."

"I have an Ulu daughter," Alan said.

"What?"

"I said, I have an Ulu daughter."

"Impossible. Ulu stay with their own villages," Marian said.

"You didn't apparently," Alan said.

"I am an outcast."

"Well, I can understand why if you've murdered people," Alan replied. "My daughter is an outcast as well but that's because she helped me and my wife when our plane crashed near her village."

"What's her name?" Marian said.

"Tia."

Marian paused for a moment and then a smirk spread over her face.

"I know her. I remember hearing stories about her being exiled from her village in disgrace. She ended up with a worthless human then?"

"No, because I'm not a human," Alan replied.

"Oh? And what are you then?"

"I'm a Time Lord."

Marian did a double take.

"A Time Lord? But they're extinct," she said.

Alan snorted.

"That's old news, duckie, you apparently didn't get the memo about my race being resurrected and finding a new planet centuries ago."

"So, a high and mighty Time Lord has adopted an Ulu. As what? Your pet?"

"No, I believe I told you she was my daughter and thanks to a little bit of magic, she's no longer an Ulu, she's a Time Lady."

"You lie."

"You wanna come back to New Gallifrey and meet her? I'd be happy to arrange it. Course if you love to murder people, I would have to take precautions since I don't want her ending up dead."

Marian stood and thought for a moment and then she chuckled.

"You know, I might have use for you. If I make you my slave, perhaps you can take me back to your planet so I can do a little harvesting."

The Doctor and the others grinned when Alan laughed out loud at that.

"You think you're just gonna pop in and take my people and pop back out without no one noticing. Sweetheart, this isn't some backwater mudhole we're talking about. New Gallifrey is a fully developed civilization with their own military. They watch our airspace and if you fly up without identifying yourself, they'll shoot you out of the sky."

"Not if you convince them to give us clearance."

Alan snorted.

"Like I would."

"You would if you were my slave."

Alan snorted louder.

"Just try to make a Time Lord your mindless slave and see how far you get with that," he said to her.

"I'm a lot smarter than you think I am, Time Lord."

"Not that smart," Alan said.

"What does that mean?"

"It means there are some things you can see even though they're right there staring at you in the face."

"What does that mean?"

Alan grinned and winked which made Marian angry. The Doctor grabbed Sokanon and Chaska's shoulders when Marian slapped him hard across the face.

"You will not make a fool of me, Time Lord. I'll see you become my slave or you will die!"

"Daddy," Namid whispered fearfully.

_Shhh, baby, gotta keep quiet,_ Rain thought to her. _He'll be okay. We're not gonna let anything happen to him._

They watched while Marian pulled out a knife, cut the ropes around Alan's ankles and hauled him to his feet.

"March!" Marian snarled at him.

Namor, can you watch the children while we follow them? The Doctor thought.

Namor nodded and the Doctor and Rose gave their children quick kisses before Namor came over to them. They clustered around Namor while the Doctor beckoned to everyone else and they followed Marian as she ushered Alan out of the room.


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter Seventy Seven

Namor sat with the children in the living room. He got them some sodas and made himself some tea. He took a plate of biscuits in with them and they were eating and drinking while they waited for the others to return.

"Hopefully, they'll get this all sorted out so we can go to the circus later," Namor said to them.

"They will. Daddy is good at sorting things out," Chaska said.

"Yeah, he and my daddy make a good team," Christopher added. "Whoever that woman is, they'll take care of her. It's kinda weird that she's like my sister though. My sister doesn't talk about her life before she met Mummy and Daddy. I didn't know she'd been kicked out of her village."

"I don't know much about Tia. Come to think of it, I don't know that much about your family. I'm closer to the Doctor than anyone else but that's only because he was my teacher at the Academy."

"When was that?" Chaska asked.

"Oh, about two hundred years ago. He taught for several years until they could train professors to take over but I enjoyed his class. He tried to be a friend to his students and he became close to me and several others."

"What did he teach?" Namid asked.

"I had him when he taught the Gallifreyan language and he also taught Gallifreyan history for a couple of years," Namor said. "He was an excellent teacher. One of my favorites. Then Alan taught for a few years and Nelak and Dex did as well. The old Time Lords who knew the original Gallifrey taught along with a few others from other planets who taught the general subjects like maths and science."

"Daddy never talks about this," Sokanon said. "I mean, he hasn't said much about when they had to start up New Gallifrey."

"Yup, in those days, your family members had to run just about everything, especially when the looms were just getting started and they had to wait for the first generation to grow up enough that they could take over. When I grew up, there was only one city, the one you're living in now and it wasn't as crowded. Not too many of us then which was nice since we got to know one another. Now, it's just like any other planet. You know some people and others are strangers but I'm proud to be Gallifreyan and I'm glad the Doctor thought to resurrect our race."

"Me too. Because then I wouldn't be here," Namid said.

"Well, you might be here since your parents were here before the founding of New Gallifrey but you might have grown up on New Hope instead of New Gallifrey," Namor said to her.

He was about to say something more when suddenly an image appeared in their minds. Alan showed himself being zapped with lightning. He convulsed and then his arms shot out like a zombie.

"Hey, look at me, I'm mindless," he said to them as he shuffled along with arms outstretched.

He walked in front of twenty Quek and paused. Then suddenly, there was a flash of light and he was dressed like Michael Jackson in the Thriller video. Namor and the children laughed when he started doing the Thriller dance with them.

"I never had Alan for a teacher and I wish I had because I've talked to people who did have him and they said he was hilarious and always made his classes fun. They claimed it was the best time of the day and I can believe it since he's been a joker since I've known him."

"I like being with Alan," Sokanon said. "He acts like a big kid."

"Yeah, he does. Which is why a lot of people loved him when he taught. He would crack jokes and do silly things and the lessons were never boring, at least that's what my mates said. And unlike a lot of the professors, he and the Doctor and Dex and Nelak would always eat with the students and chat with them. There were a lot of unhappy people when they retired from the Academy."

They laughed when Alan flashed an image of him beating up Marian.

_I'm this close to doing that to her,_ he thought to them. _The lady is being annoying. Keeping us from fun at the circus, how dare she! _

_Patience, Brother, _the Doctor thought._ We'll get her cornered and then we'll let her have it. No one messes with our family and gets away with it. _

As Alan was walking, he suddenly had an idea, an idea that had been tried before successfully by him and his family so he figured, why not? Spinning around, he made Marian stop in her tracks while his family stopped behind her.

"Listen," he said. "Why would you want to turn me into a mindless zombie when I would be so much more useful as a paramour?"

"What?" Marian said.

"Well, look at me. I'm a stud, it would be a waste to make me a zombie," Alan said. "Not to mention I have an Ulu daughter so I know all about your history and culture which would make me the ideal mate."

"But you're not my species," Marian said with a look of disgust.

"But I'm powerful. I'm a Time Lord; I hold the secrets to space and time. Isn't that enough to get over your disgust of me?"

The Doctor and the others studied Marian while she thought that over.

"Come on, I'm a gorgeous hunk of manmeat, ya gotta give me that!" Alan said.

"You're not bad looking, I admit that but…"

"So come on, take a chance. I'm a great lover. All Time Lords are. We're the greatest lovers in the universe. You know what they say, Once you go Time Lord, you'll never be bored!"

The Doctor bit his lip while his family fought to keep from laughing as Alan flexed his muscles and posed for Marian who was staring at him as if he were insane.

"Love me," Alan said as he posed. "I'm a cuddly teddy bear o' love!" he said in a deep voice.

While he had Marian's attention, the Doctor decided to have a little fun of his own. He reached down deep into his pocket and brought out a tiny toy dog. The dog was electronic and could walk, sit and bark in a high pitched voice. He edged past the rest of his family, his eyes on Marian in case she turned 'round. His eyes met Alan's and he showed him the dog as he set it on the floor a few feet away from his family. He turned on the dog and quickly pressed himself up against the wall. Marian turned around the moment she heard the dog moving. She stared at the dog in confusion as it sat down on its haunches and barked. She looked around and everyone froze but her eyes passed over them and went back to the dog who was now up and walking down the hallway. Marian looked at Alan.

"Did you do that?"

"Me?" Alan said. "I've been standing right in front of ya. So how could I have put that there?"

"Well, where did it come from?"

Alan shrugged.

"Dunno, it wasn't there a second ago," he said innocently.

Marian turned and walked over to the dog. Meanwhile, the dog went around his family, ran up to Alan while her back was turned and put a perception filter around his neck. He pulled Alan up against the wall and everyone froze while Marian picked up the dog and examined it. Alan nudged his brother and they quickly stifled their laughter when Marian turned back around and froze. Her mouth dropped open when she didn't see Alan in front of her. Cursing, she ran down the hallway past them as Alan waved goodbye.

_Too bad you aren't on speaking terms with the Ulu,_ the Doctor thought to Alan_. I wonder if they'd take the murderess back and lock her up?_

_Probably not since they already exiled her,_ Alan thought. _Although, if she ever did show her face. Then again, we don't know what village she came from. Then again, might not matter since I'm sure she's not welcome in any village. Glad Tia isn't here, not sure how'd she react to seeing a fellow Ulu especially a murderer and assassin. Glad my daughter wasn't exiled for that._

Awinita was watching with the others. Suddenly a grin spread across her face, when Marian's back was turned, she ran up, pulled on her hair and froze beside her when she whirled around. Awinita held back her laughter as Marian looked around in confusion. Marian turned back around and went past Donna. Suddenly, Donna gave her a swift, hard kick in the rear and then froze when Marian staggered forward and spun around.

"This isn't funny!" Marian yelled.

_Like hell it's not,_ Jack thought to the others as they laughed inside each other's heads.

"Show yourself, Time Lord. Whatever magic you're using, I'll discover it!" Marian said.

_Nope, won't discover my magic, nah, nah,_ Alan thought while everyone laughed silently.

They nearly lost it when Donna crept up, kicked her hard in the ass again and froze.

_You love doin' that, don't ya?_ Rose thought to her.

_Well, it's a nice target, big fat arse to go along with her big, fat head,_ she thought back.

_Even so, I believe we should end this game because I'm getting bored with it,_ the Doctor thought_. Not to mention she's ruining our holiday and I think we need to deliver her to the police for questioning about the earlier attack before we move on to the circus._

He walked in front of Marian and took his perception filter off. Marian blinked in shock at what she thought was her captive appearing out of thin air.

"How did you do that?"

"Time Lord magic, just like you said. Now…"

Marian gasped when he seized her throat and suddenly she was surrounded on all sides by the Doctor's family.

"I believe it's your turn to follow us because the police are looking for you, something about your Quek trying to kill people?"

Sokanon, Chaska and Christopher looked over at the living room door when Alan strolled in.

"Howdy do, was I missed?"

"Daddy!" Christopher said as he ran to him.

The others followed as Alan picked up his son, spun him around and hugged him close. Namor followed the children who were clustered around his legs telling him how happy they were to see him.

"Good on you, mate, welcome back," Namor said.

"Thanks, good to be back! Everyone's inside and we're making a quick stop to the police station to deliver Marian to the proper authorities. I believe the police will be very interested to hear what she has to say about her Quek and the fact that she's killed other people as a professional assassin and then…it's circus time."

"Yeah, but we're probably too late now," Sokanon said with a sigh.

"Soki, what are we in?"

"The TARDIS."

"Uh-huh," Alan said. "And what does a TARDIS do?"

"Fly around and go to places and planets and go back in time."

"Uh-huh, now think of the last three words of your definition."

"We're going back in time to get the circus tickets?"

"Spot on," Alan said, patting Sokanon's head. "How quickly they forget about our ship and it's wonderful ability to go anywhere, anytime. We're going to actually go forward a day so we don't run into ourselves but don't worry, we will be going to the funfair and circus. Now, I'm parched after my kidnapping. I need a cuppa, so skittilly skat scoot! Out away from my gorgeous legs, you lot!"

They moved out of the way but everyone followed him to the kitchen as he and Namid sang the chorus of The Wheels On The Bus.


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter Seventy Eight

Koschei was surprised to see how many people were in the Doctor's backyard as he smiled and felt his hearts swelling in his chest. He had forgotten how they worked to together to free him when he got kidnapped and the Doctor gently placed his hand on Koschei's shoulder, squeezing it.

"_Forget that you're family, Brother?" _the Doctor thought and Koschei glanced over at him.

"_Sometimes, yeah, I forget," _he thought then sighed.

"_Trust me, Brother, I remember feeling like an outsider when I first joined this family," _Amato thought.

"_So did I," _Duer thought and Koschei smiled.

"Right, what we need to do is figure out who's coming with us to…" the Doctor said when Alan and Adam waved their hands in the air and jumped up and down. "Do you two need to use the loo?"

"No, we are volunteering ourselves for the rescue mission, Sir!" Alan said, saluting him.

"What he said, Sir!" Adam said, saluting him.

"We will lay down our lives for the safe return of our wayward little kiddies and…" Alan said and Adam gave him a stunned look.

"Uh, we will do what?"

"We will risk life and limb to secure the safe return of our wee ones. Though our blood will flow across the grass and…"

"That's it. You are not watching any more war films!" Rose said as she sat Alan down on the lounge and he scowled at her.

"As I was saying, who wants to come with us?" the Doctor said and Alan, Adam, Amato and Julie raised their hands.

"Do you want me to come along?" Grace asked.

"If you want to," the Doctor said and she nodded as he looked at Jack.

"Jack, I want you to contact Councilor Xashion and tell her what's going on."

"On it, Doc," Jack said as he ran toward the house and the Doctor walked to Rain, sliding his arms around her.

"I'll bring her back, Latara," he said and she kissed his lips.

"I know you will bring both of them back, Thete," she whispered and he smiled.

"Now the rest of you are to stay put because I don't want anyone getting ideas about sneaking aboard the TARDIS and coming with us," he said as he let go of her then looked at Chaska, Christopher, Cam, David and Sokanon and they nodded their heads. "Let's go."

The Doctor led them toward the garage as they went inside and the familiar sound of the TARDIS dematerializing filled the air. Holding onto Jenna, Jamie looked around when he frowned and his lower lip stuck out.

"What's wrong, Highland?" she asked, brushing the hair from his eyes.

"Where's Hamish?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"He did look really upset while Koschei was telling us what happened."

"Maybe he went inside," Jenna said, taking his hand and they started walking toward the house.

"Frazer, have you seen Hamish?" Jamie asked as Frazer walked toward them and he shook his head.

"Sorry, Dad, havenae seen him."

"Where is he?" Jamie asked while Jenna thought for a few seconds then touched his arm.

"What if he went for a walk to calm down and the Amos took him?" she asked and Jamie shook his head.

"We would have seen them or he would have cried out."

"Then where is he?" she asked and Jamie sighed, wondering the same thing.

The stick softly thumped on the carpeting as the TARDIS softly hummed in his ears and Hamish ran his hand along the wall. He was surprised that the TARDIS would let him in after he snuck off while the Doctor was talking and his fingers bent around the corner, causing him to pause for a few seconds. He gently swung the stick side to side then went around the corner and headed down the hallway.

"Hamish?" a soft voice asked as he stood still and held the stick to his chest.

"Who is there?" he asked, feeling a gentle warm burst of air in his mind.

"Do not be afraid. It's just me," the TARDIS said and he smiled.

"I didnae ken that you could talk," he said and felt a soft rumbling in his mind. "My father's TARDIS just grumbled an' growls at me."

"That means she is talking to you. You're just not listening."

Hamish gently smiled then patted the wall and the TARDIS hummed around him.

"Why did you let me in while the Doctor was talking?"

"I let you in because you seemed like you needed someone to talk to. What is that matter?" she asked as he leaned against the wall, slide down to the floor and placed the stick across his thighs.

"I failed," he sighed and placed his head against the wall, feeling the vibrations of the TARDIS against the back of his head.

"I do not understand."

"I failed to protect Namid an' Aderyn."

"From what the Doctor said, the Amos would have killed you if you tried to save them."

"Aye, but I still should have done something. Namid is my student as well as kin an' wee Aderyn…" he said then closed his eyes and tears trickled down from the corners of his eyes.

"Hamish, what are you doing here?" Amato said as he walked closer and knelt down in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but I had tae come help rescue Namid an' Aderyn," he said and Amato smiled.

"Got the wrong one, Mate," he said as he helped Hamish stand up and Hamish wiped his eyes. Even though he could tell Alan's voice from John and Adam's, trying to figure out the Doctor's voice from Amato and Duer was proving to be rather difficult.

"Then who are you?"

"I'm Amato. Now, let's go to the control room and tell the Doctor we have a stowaway," he said with a grin and Hamish sighed, nodding.

Julie sat on Koschei's lap while they sat on the jump seat and he held her against him. Her head rested on his shoulder while the Doctor watched them and felt his hearts hurting. He knew that Namid was going to be fine but he also knew what it was like to have someone take his daughter. Over the years Namid and her brothers and sisters have been taken by a number of beings and came out of it more or less unscathed but Aderyn was only a baby. Noticing the concern on the Doctor's face, Julie got off of Koschei's lap and walked to the Doctor, giving him a hug. Letting go, he saw Amato walking into the control room with Hamish walking next to him and the Doctor blinked.

"Now, before you say anything, Te'lesau, there is a perfectly good reason for why he's here," Amato said while Julie walked to Hamish and took his hand.

"I am so sorry, Julie, I couldnae save wee Aderyn," Hamish sighed and she cupped his cheek in her hand.

"I don't blame you," she said softly but he shook his head and the Doctor could feel the pain and guilt in Hamish's mind.

"_Jamie?" _the Doctor thought, setting up a privacy block and pulled Jamie's mind forward.

"_Doctor, we cannae find Hamish. Do you think the Amos came back for him?" _Jamie thought.

"_Nope, he's with me and is looking really gloomy."_

"_He must have snuck onboard while you were talking aboot Namid an' Aderyn."_

"_Looks like."_

"_What are you going tae do?"_

"_Well, I could turn around and take him home but that means the Amos will get away."_

"_I could have Jack come an' get him," _Jamie thought while the Doctor looked at Hamish then thought for a few seconds. He knew that he didn't want to take Hamish with him then he thought about all the times Namid traveled with him when she was blind and a tiny voice inside his head called him a hypocrite.

"_That's not very nice," _the Doctor thought.

"_What isnae very nice?"_

"_There was this tiny voice in my head that called me a hypocrite because I let Namid travel with me when she was blind but I won't let Hamish."_

"_Aye, that is odd."_

_"Then I guess I'll have to let him stay then."_

"_Just promise me that he'll come home in one piece."_

"_I promise," _the Doctor thought then let Jamie's mind go and looked at Hamish, who was looking down at the grating.

"Right, do you promise to do as I say, no matter what it is?" he asked as Hamish lifted his head and blinked his sightless eyes.

"You're nae sending me home?" Hamish asked.

"Don't have time. So, if you're going to be a part of the team, get that bum of yours over here and help me steer," the Doctor said as Hamish slowly walked toward the console and the Doctor placed Hamish's right hand on the lever in front of him then took his left hand, placing it on the switch. "When I tell you, pull the lever down then move the switch twice to your left."

The Doctor looked at the screens when he tapped Hamish's right hand and Hamish pulled the lever down, causing the TARDIS hum contently. Moving around the console, the Doctor checked the screens again then tapped Hamish's left hand and Hamish moved the switch twice to the left. The TARDIS lurched forward as they held onto the console and the Doctor looked at the screen.

"Ah, that should have been one click. We're going too fast," the Doctor said and Hamish moved the switch once to the right. "Brillant, that's much better."

"Oi, Speedy, will you slow down? We fell onto the floor when you sped up like that!" Alan said as he and Adam came into the room then stopped when they saw Hamish standing near the console. "Blimey, is he the one who's driving?"

"Aye, you got a problem with that?" Hamish asked, arching one eyebrow at them and the Doctor softly laughed.

"No, just surprised that he let you."

"Why?" Hamish said as the stick clicked on the grating and he tapped the stick against the toe of Alan's converse sneaker. "You think I'm a louse driver?"

"Ah, no, that thought never crossed my mind," Alan said then hid behind Adam and Adam turned, looking back at him.

"Why are you hiding me behind me for? You're bigger than he is," Adam said.

"Yeah, but he's got that REALLY big stick!" Alan said, pointing to the stick.

"Aye, and this time I'll show those bloody birds that you cannae mess with me an' get away with it!" Hamish said as he swung the stick in a circle then held it against the back of his neck.

"Down, Boy, save it for the Amos," Koschei said and Hamish nodded. The Doctor was looking at the screens when he sighed and placed his hands on the console.

"Well, look at…uh…" he said and Hamish laughed.

"Doctor, you can say look," he said and the Doctor nodded.

"What did you find?" Julie asked when she walked to the Doctor and looked at the screen.

"It appears that I found the Amos' ship," he said and Alan looked over his shoulder, looking at the screen.

"Someone's in trouble!" Alan said in a sing song tone and the Doctor's eyes went into tight slits.

"Yep," he said, popping the "p" and balled his hands into fists.

"Will you be quiet?" Tarmez shouted while Aderyn screeched and Namid held her in her arms.

"Can you blame her? She's scared!" Namid shouted then held Aderyn against her shoulder, patted her back and hushed her.

"Babba!" Aderyn cried as the tears rolled down her cheeks and Namid stroked the back of her head.

"Just shut her up or I will!" Tarmez shouted then drew his laser blaster and pointed it at them.

"Yeah, you do that and my daddy will pluck your feathers off and serve you up with rice and stuffing!" Namid shouted and Tarmez snorted a laugh.

"I am not afraid of your father," he said and she gave him a shocked look.

"My daddy is the Doctor!"

"Yes, he told me that but that doesn't matter. He is never going to find us," Tarmez said when the navigator, a tall Amos with grey, black and white feathers and yellow eyes, looked at the screen and blinked.

"Commander, there's something in front of us," he said and Tarmez walked to the console, looking at the screen.

"It can't be!" he said as he looked at the TARDIS and Namid looked over his shoulder, smiling.

"Someone's in trouble," she said in a sing song tone as he glared at her and she gently rocked Aderyn back and forth.


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter Seventy Nine

Namor and the children sat in the living room sipping their drinks while they chatted. Namor was impressed by all the children, even at seven years old all of them were well mannered and mature beyond their years. While they were talking, the Doctor and Alan entered the room and crossed over to Namid who was standing as she picked up her glass of Coke. The Doctor came up behind her and Alan got in front and both of them pressed into her.

"Hey!" Namid said, laughing along with the others.

"Lookie, Brother, we made a sandwich," the Doctor said.

"I know and she looks yummy enough to eat," Alan replied.

"Hey, quit that!" Namid said.

The Doctor took his index finger and drew circles on Namid's scalp.

"Who told you that you could have soft drinks?" he said to her as his finger went round and round the top of her head.

"Namor."

"Why didn't you tell him that you can't have soft drinks until you clean the entire TARDIS from top to bottom?" the Doctor asked as Alan snickered.

"I don't want to," Namid said.

"Brother, is I don't want to an acceptable answer?" the Doctor asked Alan.

"Nope," he replied.

The Doctor continued to spin his finger around Namid's scalp while she giggled.

"Guess what?" he finally said to her.

"What?'

"I need you to do something for me before we can go on to the funfair and circus."

"What?" she asked.

"I need you to come with us and speak to the police and tell them what happened at the funfair."

"Why won't Uncle Alan tell?"

"Because I wasn't awake for all of it. He wants to know what you saw," Alan said.

The Doctor snickered when he continued to spin his finger around while Alan poked her ribs repeatedly.

"Quit!" Namid said as they laughed.

"Okay, we'll quit but you have to come with us, yeah?"

Namid nodded. She finished off her Coke and sat the glass down on the table before taking her father's hand. The Doctor led her out the door while Alan spun around and stared at the other children.

"As for you, you go clean the TARDIS now!"

"No!" they said in unison.

Alan looked at Namor, feigning exasperation while the children giggled.

"Lack of discipline, that's what's wrong with the younger generation these days," he said to him.

After Namid told the police officers what she saw, the Doctor finished the paperwork and he and Alan delivered the unconscious Marian into their care. Then, the brothers got back inside the TARDIS.

"Well, sorry, circus has been cancelled," Alan said. "We need to go to the fifth moon of Plasmagoria to give blood. We consider it our civic duty. To the blood bank!"

"NO!" the children yelled in unison.

"But, civic duty and all that," Alan said as the adults laughed. "Don't you want to give blood to the plasmavores?"

"NO!"

"Okay then, sorry, Brother, it's the circus for us, I s'pose," Alan said.

"I s'pose," the Doctor said in a low voice as he trudged to his console.

"Daddy, you quit that, you like the circus," Sokanon said as she and the other children followed him.

"No, I don't," he said in the mopey voice, "circus bad."

They giggled as he pulled down on the lever. As the TARDIS took off, he slammed his butt down in the jump seat, folded his arms across his chest and moped as he stuck his bottom lip out. Tara laughed and came over to him.

"Aw, is the big baby being forced to do something he doesn't wanna do?" she said in a condescending voice.

The children laughed as the Doctor stared at her in shock and they laughed harder when she ran away the moment he slammed his hands together.

"WHAP! THAT'LL BE YOUR REAR END IN A MOMENT IF YOU DON'T GET OUTTA MY FACE!" he screamed. "There now, back to sulking."

The children laughed harder and sat down around him as the Doctor stared at the floor and pouted. Tara walked over and rested her arms on the top of his head while the children giggled.

"Um, I'm not an arm rest," the Doctor said, staring at the floor while everyone laughed.

"You're also not a sulker, now cheer up, Daddy," Tara said.

"Brothers, can you come and remove this person before I stick her on the outside of the TARDIS?" he said to Alan and Doc.

Alan looked at Doc and they walked over. Tara squealed when Alan hooked his arms under hers and Doc grabbed her legs.

"Thank you!" the Doctor said as they picked her up and carried her back to the ramp.

"Dex, help!" Tara cried as Doc pretended to fiddle with the door.

"Now wait a moment," Dex said coming after them while everyone laughed. "I have to protest. I'm quite fond of my sister."

"Yeah, me too," Sokanon said, running up to Alan and smacking him on the butt.

"RAWR!" Alan roared at her as Sokanon squealed and ran back to the Doctor's side. "And now, say goodbye because you're about to be consumed by the time winds and…"

The TARDIS landed and powered down.

"Crud, too late," Alan said as the TARDIS rumbled out laughter. "Oh well, we'll chuck her in the nearest ditch then. To the ditch!"

"No!"

Alan and Doc looked back at the Doctor.

"You can't open the door because I have to take us back into the vortex away from the merriment of the circus," he said, getting up.

Everyone laughed when the children blocked his way to the console.

"But…we have to go give blood," he said to the children.

"Come on, everyone, circus!" Chaska said.

"Wait! You must give blood!" the Doctor said as Sokanon grabbed her sister's hand and they ran to the ramp. "It's your civic duty! I can't let you have fun till you give at least 3 quarts!"

"Open the door!" Sokanon said to Doc.

"Yes, Brother, open the door so we can chuck this girl in a ditch!" Alan said.

"Clear some space for me," the Doctor said as he walked up to the front door.

He paused and looked at Tara who was still in their arms.

"Sucks to be you, eh?" he said.

"Daddy, if they throw me in a ditch, you're going in right on top of me," she said as Alan and Doc sniggered.

The Doctor let out an exaggerated yawn and scratched his side before he threw open the door. They were near the entrance on the funfair side.

"Nah, we don't want this. We need to go give blood."

He turned but the children were already out the door. The Doctor feigned anger and pointed to the interior.

"No, get back in here; you're going to give blood!"

The children giggled and ran even farther from the door. They stopped about ten feet away and stared at the Doctor who threw up his hands and sighed.

"Fine, have it your way then," he said as everyone stepped out with him.

Tara squealed as Doc and Alan carried her out.

"Ditch, ditch, where's a ditch?" Alan said as they looked around. "Mud puddle, dung heap, rubbish bin, where can we put her?"

"Daddy, stop them!" Tara yelled.

The Doctor bent over laughing as they ran around in a small circle while Dex followed behind them.

"Now really," Dex said in a posh accent. "I must protest, old chaps, I adore my sister and I don't want to see her soiled."

"Who are you s'posed to be, Prince Charles?" Alan said to Dex as they ran around in a circle.

Dex shrugged.

"I was just trying to be polite. But if that doesn't work…"

Alan gasped as Dex lunged forward and got him in a headlock.

"Please put down my sister," he said as everyone laughed.

"Gah! Put her down, Doc!" Alan gasped.

They put Tara down and Dex patted him on the head.

"Good show, old chap," he said with the posh accent before walking away with Tara.

Namor came up beside the Doctor.

"Is it always like this?" he asked.

"Pretty much, yeah," the Doctor said as Rain came up beside him and took his hand.

"It's a nut house when you travel with our family," she said to Namor. "You get used to it after awhile."

She bent over laughing and the Doctor gasped when Rose ran over and jumped on his back.

"Yes, and this man is the governor of the asylum," she said as she leapt back off him.

"Do that again and I'll throw you in a rubber room and throw away the key!" the Doctor said to Rose as she patted his cheek. "Now, where is the place where we purchase the tickets?"

"That's the problem we had yesterday!" Alan said, gesturing to the empty funfair. "You see anyone around, anywhere? They're all hiding. We were heading for the circus tent yesterday when Marian attacked us."

"Well, let's head that way then," the Doctor said.

As they headed towards the tent, the children looked around with glee at the empty rides and booths.

"How come no one's riding them?" Sokanon asked the Doctor.

"Probably isn't open yet. We'll have to find out what time it opens and use the TARDIS to jump ahead," the Doctor said to her.

After twenty minutes, they reached the huge yellow and blue striped circus tent. In front of them was a large opening in the tent, the flap of the canvas pulled back to the right side to let air and light in. The Doctor looked in and to his relief he found some workers setting up a mesh net over a high wire.

"Excuse me! Where do we buy tickets?" he yelled to them. "We can't find anyone else and we thought we'd ask you chaps."

"Around the back is a ticket booth," one of the workers said pointing behind him.

"Cheers, mate," the Doctor said as he stuck his head back out.

They went around the tent and saw a small white wooden ticket booth. The Doctor went up to the window in the booth and noticed a young woman was sitting in a wooden chair inside reading a magazine. The Doctor tapped on the window and she leapt to her feet.

"Sorry, can I help you?" she said.

"Yes, we need tickets for the circus and also, where can you buy tickets for the funfair?" the Doctor said.

"Here. You can buy both here," the woman said.

"Brilliant. We need both then."

"We have special bracelets for both the funfair and circus. The bracelets for the funfair will give you unlimited rides on the rides and the bracelets for the circus will let you come backstage before the show to meet the performers."

"We'll have the bracelets for both the circus and funfair then," the Doctor said eagerly.

He used his magic wallet to pay for the bracelets and then the woman directed them to come up to the ticket booth and stick their hands through the slit in the Perspex window. For each person, she put a red bracelet on their wrist for the funfair and a blue one for the circus.

"What time do they open?" Rain asked when she was finished.

"Funfair opens at 11 a.m. and goes till 2 in the morning. Circus starts at 8 p.m."

They thanked her and the Doctor checked his watch as they walked away.

"We only have to wait a half hour for the funfair to open. We can just walk back to the TARDIS. By the time we get there, It'll almost be time for it to open," he said.

"Race ya!" Alan said to Nelak.

The two of them took off running while Christopher and Chaska tried to catch up to them. The Doctor looked at Sokanon walking hand in hand with Namid and smiled at them as he took his wife's hand in his own. He grimaced and Rose yelled out when they saw Alan's foot hit a rock and he stumbled to the ground.

"Daddy!" Christopher said as he and Chaska ran to him and Nelak stopped and turned back.

"You alright, Clumsy?" Nelak asked as Alan got to his feet.

"Yeah, stupid rock," Alan said as he dusted the dirt off his trousers. "I'm fine. I'm fine, Chris," he added when Christopher came up to his side. "I've had worse than tripping over a rock."

"You need to open your eyes when you run, Thickface!" Sokanon said to Alan as she and Namid walked by. "It helps to keep the eyes open so you don't fall on your bum and…"

She squealed and let go of Namid as Alan chased her across the field. Namid stood still and threw her hands up in the air.

"Gee, thanks, Soki," she said as the Doctor chuckled and came up behind her with Rain.

"Lose your walking buddy?" he said as Alan caught up with Sokanon and tickled her unmercifully.

"She coulda said something," Namid said.

"Well, I think she was a bit busy trying not to get tickled," the Doctor said, taking her hand as Alan let up on her sister and ran away with Sokanon in hot pursuit.

The Doctor felt a tap on his shoulder and looked at Donna.

"Your family are nutters, why am I still sane?" she said.

"Um, because you're a nutter too?" the Doctor said as Rain giggled.

Donna thought that over and then nodded. She took Namid's other hand and they resumed walking with everyone else towards the TARDIS. As they did, they noticed other people coming out of the booths and out of a breezeblock building in the center of the fair. They walked towards the rides and began to prepare them for the day, setting up and testing them. The Doctor and his family reached the TARDIS and everyone hung around outside it, chatting and waiting for the fair to open. While they were doing that, Namid felt the Doctor in her ear.

"Come inside a moment, I need to talk to you," he whispered to her.

Namid took his hand and the Doctor took her inside.

"I've been thinking, Rainbow," he said as he sat with her on the jump seat. "I want to teach you and your sister and brother self defense so you can protect yourself and you won't feel so helpless in a situation. However, I have to consult with my TARDIS because obviously we'll have to make a specialized regimen for you."

"How will I see?" Namid asked.

"Well, we'll have to train you to compensate for that and before you say you can't do it, I knew an old Venusian aikido master who was blind and yet, he was able to defeat anyone who challenged him just by hearing and sensing what they were doing. You can do the same and then the next time something happens, either to you or to us you won't feel like you're useless. Because believe me, Rainbow, you're not. You're my little girl and I'm proud of ya!"

He gave her a sideways hug and sent love into her mind.

"Now, one more question before we go back out. When we attend the circus tonight and I show you what's happening. Do you want to see what's really going on or do you want my version of events?"

A wicked grin spread over his face when Namid giggled at that.

"I want your version, Daddy."

"Ooo, excellent choice, this'll be fun. Now see, my darling, there are advantages to being blind."

Namid nodded. The Doctor gave her another hug, kissed her head and got up. He took her hand and led her back towards the front door.


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter Eighty

While Doc took the children on the merry-go-round, the Doctor walked with Rain. He was telling her of his decision to train the children in self defense and how he would tailor Namid's regimen to accommodate her blindness.

"Any ideas on how to do that, Thete?" Rain asked him.

"Well, I had one idea. You see, in order to know where her opponent is, she'll have to have her hearing sharpened and I think I can ask the TARDIS to come up with a way to work on her hearing by giving her a hearing test. The sounds will start out at a normal range but slowly get fainter and fainter causing her to really have to hear them."

"I like that. I'm glad you're going to teach them some self-defense especially since kooks are starting to come after them now."

"Precisely why I want them to know how to take care of themselves. They need to start now anyway so they'll be ready when they come of age and come with me to more dangerous places."

They were passing by Alan and Rose. Without warning, the Doctor's hand shot up and smacked his brother on the back of the head.

"OW!" Alan said as Rose bent over laughing and the Doctor and Rain quickly sped up. "Bloody hell, that hurt. Right! Come along, Starlight. I must have my revenge now!"

Rose and Alan sped up and followed the Doctor and Rain through the sparse crowd. The Doctor and Rain looked over their shoulders and sped up as Alan and Rose increased their speed. The Doctor glanced over and saw Tara talking with Dex near a game booth. He led Rain over to them and adopted a casual air while he whistled. Tara and Dex looked at him and looked at Rain.

"Okay, what's he done now?" Tara said to her mother.

Rain gestured to Alan who was standing a few feet away snorting like a bull and pawing the ground while Rose giggled.

"What'd you do?" Tara asked the Doctor.

"Gave my brother a playful tap on the back of the head," he said.

"Tap, my arse. You slapped me," Alan said as he came over towards the Doctor. "And now you must pay the price."

"Water pistol game then!" the Doctor said, pointing to the game booth beside them.

Alan studied it and nodded.

"You're on," he said as he walked over to it.

The Doctor stepped up to the counter. Both men paid the man behind it with credit sticks and grabbed their iron water pistols while the others watched. They hunched over, positioning their guns so they'd hit the open mouth of a cartoon clown. Above him was a balloon that went up a metal track to the top where a light would come on and a buzzer would sound. Both brothers smiled when their family members pretended to bet on the outcome. Alan looked around at his wife.

"Put ten quid down for me, duckie!" he said to her.

His eyes widened when the buzzer sounded as he was talking. Cursing, he jerked his head back around and shot a stream of water at the mouth, aware that the Doctor's balloon was already climbing up the track. The buzzer rang and Alan cursed when the Doctor won.

"Sorry, Brother, if you weren't busy placing fake bets you might have won," he said to him.

The man minding the booth reached behind the counter and handed the Doctor his prize. The women laughed when the Doctor stared at a cheaply made green alien with a yellow duck bill. The Doctor thanked the man politely and moved away from the booth. As soon as they were far enough away, the Doctor tried to give the alien to his wife.

"I don't want that crappy thing," Rain said, making a face. "What the hell is it supposed to be, a platypus alien or something?"

"Here, Brother, you can have the prize," the Doctor said.

"Not on your life," Alan said.

"Rose?" the Doctor said, offering it to her.

"No thanks. I have enough crappy things at home without adding to it."

"Tara?"

"Not if you paid me."

"Dex?"

"No thanks, Father. I can do without the cheap alien plushie," he said.

"Drat, who wants it?" the Doctor said, looking around.

He noticed a little girl walking by him.

"Excuse me, little girl. Want a plushie?" he said, showing it to her.

"Ooo, thanks."

"No problem, enjoy."

"Damn, I was hoping you'd get stuck with it," Rain said after the child took it and walked away.

He smiled when Doc walked up with the children.

"Daddy, the merry-go-round was fun," Sokanon said.

"Yeah, come and ride something with us now," Namid said, taking his hand.

"What's wrong, Doc not fun enough for ya?" the Doctor said.

"I want both my daddies and my mummy to ride with me," she said.

"But I'm still upset about not giving blood," the Doctor said.

The children giggled and urged him to go as they tugged at his hands. The Doctor gave a melodramatic sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming. Don't wanna spend the rest of this regeneration with no arms," he said as Rain patted him on the shoulder and followed him.

The others fell in behind him as the children and Doc led them back towards the rides. On the way there, Alan had a thought when he saw Namid's ereader still hanging from her neck.

"Meemster, can I borrow your ereader for a momento?" he said, hurrying up to her side.

"Why?" Namid demanded.

"'Cause!" Alan said as Namid giggled.

Namid handed it to him.

"Thanks muchly, just wanna check the Gallifreyan newspaper today and see if there's anything that needs my help."

"Oh puh-leeze, get over yourself," Tara said as everyone laughed.

Alan found the link to the Gallifreyan newspaper and uploaded it. He perused it while they walked, keeping an eye on where they were going. He stopped with them when they stopped in front of a large building. It was a water ride and had two arched tunnels in the front of the ride with a semicircular track of water in between them. At the front was a wooden platform where people waited to get into the wooden boats before they went around and into the tunnel. The outside was painted to look like a field with a man and woman running across it, clearly in love with two hearts above their heads. At the top in big red letters was painted, Tunnel of Love. The Doctor looked at Rain.

"Feel like riding the Tunnel of Love with me?"

"Okay," she said.

"Can we come with you?" Chaska asked.

"Well, um…we wanted to be alone so we could kiss."

He grinned when the children made faces and said, "Ewww," to that. Rose looked at Alan who was still perusing the electronic paper.

"Do you wanna go or do you wanna read the newspaper?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'll go with you," he said, taking her hand.

The children climbed the wooden steps up to the platform along with Doc, the Doctor and Rain and Alan and Rose. Tara and Dex went to look at a nearby game booth while they waited for the boats. When they came around they noticed that there was enough room for four so the Doctor and Rain got in the front and Namid and Sokanon got in the back. The next one came ten seconds later and Rose, Alan, Doc, Chaska and Christopher all squeezed into it. Alan continued to read the ereader as the boat curved around and went into the tunnel. The screen lit up so Alan continued to read while Rose put his arm around his shoulders.

"You know, this isn't really romantic since you're busy reading that," she said to him.

"Someone committed suicide and I think I know who it is," Alan said.

"What? Who committed suicide?" Doc said as Christopher looked at his cousin.

"Um…I think he was a student of mine back at the academy. His name was Laroc," Alan said grimly as Rose squeezed his shoulder. "If it's who I think it is, he was a very bright student. Had a lot of promise and wanted to be a painter. According to this, he had marital problems. His lives mate was gonna leave him and he was distraught so he took two guns and shot both his hearts. Died instantly."

"Oh, Alan, I'm sorry," Rose said sadly.

"Yeah, funeral and cremation is tomorrow night."

"You wanna go to it?" Rose said.

"I'd like to if you don't mind. I'm pretty sure this is the Laroc I taught and I'd like to pay my last respects."

"Sure. I'll go with you," Rose said.

While they were talking, Doc telegraphed what was happening to the Doctor and he saw him turn around with Rain, a shocked look on his face.

_Brother, I'm sorry to hear that,_ he thought to Alan.

_Yeah, he was a good kid, I had high hopes for him,_ Alan thought sadly.

_Namor, did you know a Laroc, was in Alan's class when he taught at the academy, _the Doctor thought to him.

_No, but I heard what happened. I'm sorry to hear that, Alan, that's terrible,_ Namor thought back.

_Yeah, I hope he's at peace now if he was that tormented,_ Alan thought sadly.

Rose gave him a sideways hug and kissed his cheek. She glanced back figuring Chaska or Christopher would comment on the yuckiness of it but both remained silent. She turned back around as the boat turned a bend. She heard the Doctor say, "What in the world?" just before they turned and she saw why he exclaimed that when suddenly they were in the middle of a fake spooky forest with fake lightning and thunder crashing overhead. Alan frowned as he and Doc looked up.

"Okay, what has this to do with love?" he said as the two boys giggled.

"It's because love is horrible and scary," Chaska said.

Alan and Rose looked at them as the boys giggled.

"If it wasn't for love, you wouldn't be here, my dear boy," Alan said. "So I wouldn't be so quick to diss it."

"BOOOOO!"

They jumped when a fake ghost jumped out of the trees and yelled at them. Rain looked back at them.

"Gee, why does Rip-off Disney suddenly come to mind?"

"Rip-off Disney?" Christopher said as Alan, Doctor and Rose giggled.

"It was this odd amusement park we went to in China centuries before you were born," Alan said. "A lot of the rides were shoddy and boring and they had cheap stuff in them like that ghost."

"Sounds naff," Doc said.

"Actually, we had a giggle going through it," Alan said to him.

A wistful smile spread over his face.

"That was the day we learned who Morana really was!" he yelled.

Rain howled with laughter as the Doctor turned beet red and looked back at him.

"Mate…" he said, pointing his finger at Alan, "be quiet about that."

"Who's Morana?" Chaska asked.

Alan looked at Rose who was trying not to laugh.

"Should we inform him who Morana is?" he said to her.

Rose looked at the Doctor who was giving her a pointed look.

"I have a feeling if we do, we won't be long for this world," Rose said.

"Who's Morana?" Chaska repeated impatiently.

"Brother, let me explain, don't say anything," the Doctor yelled to him.

Alan gave him the thumbs up and shrugged when both Chaska and Christopher pressed him for information.

"Talk to the man up there. I'm keeping my lips zipped," he said as the boys groaned.

Alan was giggling the rest of the ride because he could tell the boys wanted to know who Morana was. When the boat finally reached the platform, they couldn't get out fast enough. They went over to the Doctor who was letting out a gleeful laugh as Rain poked him playfully in the side. By this time, the children were gathered around him and Doc was nearby, listening out of curiosity.

"Okay, who's Morana?" Christopher asked.

"Me," the Doctor said, pointing to himself.

"Huh? I thought your name was Doctor," Christopher said.

"It is. But I was once known as Morana."

Christopher gave him an odd look when he, Rain, Alan and Rose giggled. He tousled his nephew's hair.

"Come on, I'll tell you the story while we walk," he said to them as he headed for the stairs.


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter Eighty One

Tarmez looked at the screen while Namid walked back and forth and hushed Aderyn. Tarmez made a low growling sound when he pushed the button and the main screen crackled until the Doctor appeared on the screen.

"Ah, Daughter, there you are!" the Doctor said as she walked to the main screen and smiled at him.

"Doc-doc!" Aderyn said as she bounced up and down in Namid's arms and the Doctor smiled.

"Hello, Little Bird, you ok?" he asked and Aderyn nodded then chirped when Koschei appeared next to him.

"Babba!" she shouted and patted her hands on the screen.

"Uncle Koschei, I'm sorry," Namid said with a pout and Koschei blinked, tilting his head to one side.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" he asked.

"I didn't run fast enough."

"Bugger, what is it with you and Hamish? Neither of you are to blame for this, Meemster!" Alan said as he appeared over the Doctor's shoulder and placed an elbow on his shoulder.

"Who are you?" Tarmez demanded.

"I am his handsome, younger brother," Alan said and the Doctor sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Is Hamish alright, Daddy?" Namid asked.

"See for yourself," Alan said when she heard Hamish yelp then Alan and Hamish appeared on the screen.

"Are you an' Aderyn alright, Lass?" Hamish asked.

"Yes, we're fine but Aderyn's scared," she said and Hamish sighed.

"I am so sorry."

"No, you don't have anything to be sorry for," she said then a cartoon version of her appeared in his mind in front of a cartoon version of himself and a cartoon of Aderyn flew to him, landing on his shoulders. Both of them hugged him as he smiled and little cartoon hearts appeared above his head. Hamish smiled then nodded and the Doctor looked at Tarmez.

"I will only say this once. Return my daughter and Aderyn and we'll forget this ever happened. Refuse and…" the Doctor said and Tarmez gave him a smug look.

"You will pluck my feathers and serve me up with rice and stuffing?" he asked and Namid smiled.

"Not a big stuffing man, myself, but that's about right," Alan said as the Doctor and Koschei laughed and Hamish frowned, getting confused. Suddenly Alan and Tarmez appeared in his mind when Alan saw Tarmez and grinned. Tarmez squawked when Alan changed into a large cartoon cat and he grinned, running toward him.

"Geronimo!" Alan shouted when he dived on top of Tarmez and a cartoon cloud appeared around them. Loud grunting and squawking filled the air then the cloud moved away and Alan spit the feathers out of his mouth while Tarmez stood next to him, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer with tiny chickens on them. Looking down, Tarmez' eyes went wide and he ran away, feathers flying after him.

The Doctor and Koschei jumped when Hamish suddenly started laughing and dropped onto the floor, holding onto his stomach while laughing.

"What?" the Doctor asked when Alan showed him what he did and the Doctor laughed. Hamish calmed down after a few minutes then sat up and Alan knelt down, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Right, back to what I was saying. Give me back my daughter and the Amos child!"

"We will give you the girl but the princess is ours!" Tarmez said then blinked when lightning flashed in Koschei's eyes. "What is wrong with his eyes?"

"Babba all boom-boom,' Aderyn said, clapping her hands.

"Give me my daughter!" Koschei growled and the lightning flashed brighter in his eyes.

"I thought he was the girl's daughter," Tarmez said, pointing at the Doctor.

"I am talking about Aderyn!"

"Who is Aderyn?"

"Me!" Aderyn said, waving her hand in the air.

"You named her?" Tarmez gasped and Koschei nodded. "That is an outrage! Her naming ceremony is not done until her first birth celebration!"

"What, are you saying that you'd call her "Hey you!" for a full year?" Adam asked as he appeared on the screen and Alan high fived him.

"Who are you?" Tarmez asked.

"I'm the other handsome, younger brother," Adam said then grinned, leaning against Alan. "Though I have to admit I am the better looking of the three."

"You are not!" Alan said, shoving Adam.

"I am so!" he said, shoving back. They started arguing while Koschei and Hamish started laughing when they heard a high pitch whistle and Julie walked toward them.

"That's enough. If you two toddlers are going to fight, take it to your room!" she said when Alan and Adam sniffed, walking away and Julie rolled her eyes then looked at Tarmez. "Right, now give us back Namid and return my daughter before I come over there and rip your giblets out!"

"Ooo!" Alan and Adam said off screen and Aderyn jumped up and down in Namid's arms.

"Mooma!" she said and Julie smiled at her.

"Hi, Baby," she said and Aderyn waved at her.

"Wait, why is she calling you "Mooma"?" Tarmez asked.

"Well, it's because I am her mooma. In fact, if it wasn't for me and my family, she would have frozen to death."

"She would have been better off if you had left her to die!" Tarmez said when Namid walked to him and kicked him in the skin.

"You bastard!" she shouted and the Doctor chuckled.

"Ba'bard!" Aderyn shouted and the Doctor, Julie, Koschei and Hamish's mouths dropped from the shock of her swearing.

"Little Peep, that was a naughty word," Koschei said as she cupped her mouth and he smiled.

"Well, don't blame her. It was his foul mouthed daughter that said it first!" Julie said, pointing at Namid.

"My daughter does not have a foul mouth!" the Doctor said with a shocked look on his face.

"Well, she said the "b" word, didn't she?" Koschei asked.

"Uh, yeah, she did, but your daughter didn't have to parrot her," the Doctor said and Koschei's eyes went wide.

"She what?" he asked then walked to the Doctor and they went forehead to forehead, locking eyes.

"She parroted her!" he said and glared at him.

"Well, your daughter is corrupting my daughter by teaching her how to cuss!"

"Parrot!"

"Foul mouth!"

"Tweety Bird!"

"Potty Pants!"

"Statue Pooper!"

"Trash Talker!"

"Will you both shut up!" Tarmez shouted as they looked at them and Namid and Aderyn giggled. Closing his eyes tightly, Tarmez sighed when he walked to the main screen and looked at the Doctor and Koschei.

"Well, if you want us to go away, all you have to do is return our daughters and we'll be on our way," the Doctor said and Koschei nodded.

"No!" Tarmez said then pointed to the communications officer and the communications officer turned the main screen off. Namid went to hit him when he grabbed Namid's wrist and looked at the guard. "Take them to the holding cell!"

The guard, who had yellow and black feathers and black eyes, walked closer when he grabbed hold of Namid's arm and she growled at him.

"You are so dead!" she shouted when the guard led her to the door and the door slid open, allowing them to leave the room. Tarmez walked to the console when he looked at the screen and the navigator looked at him.

"Sir, what do we do about the Doctor?" he asked.

"Ram him," Tarmez said, pounding his fist on the console.

"Hey, there's no need to shove!" Namid shouted as the guard pushed her into the cell and the door hissed closed behind her. Aderyn softly chirped while tears trickled down her cheeks and Namid hushed her. The cell was small and had metal walls, floor and ceiling with a metal cot at the back of the room. The only light came from the slit in the door and a tiny light embedded in the ceiling and Namid walked to the cot, sitting down on the mattress.

"Babba," Aderyn said softly as Namid placed her on her lap and gently stroked the top of her head.

"Don't worry. Daddy will rescue us," Namid said then thought of something and smiled. "Do you want me to teach you a song?"

"Song!" Aderyn said and bounced up and down on her lap. Namid nodded when she started singing and Aderyn smiled.

"Now that was just rude," the Doctor said as Koschei held onto Julie and Hamish leaned against the console, standing next to the Doctor.

"What do we do now, Doctor?" Hamish asked while the Doctor looked at the screen and sighed.

"We need to move. They're about to ram us," he said as he moved around the console then placed Hamish's right hand on the lever and patted his back. "Go on."

"What will this do?"

"It will move us three steps to the left. Now, pull the lever!" he said as Hamish pulled the lever and the TARDIS hummed around them then jerked to the left, causing Julie and Koschei to tumble to the floor.

"Ow," they said and the Doctor laughed.

"Oi, what did we say about jerking us around like pin balls?" Alan asked as he and Adam walked into the room and Julie helped Koschei off the floor.

"I think he's letting Ham drive again," Adam teased as Hamish leaned against the console and folded his arms over his chest.

"An' I'm getting really good at it," Hamish said and the Doctor ruffled his hair.

"Yep, he's so much better than you two," the Doctor said as Adam and Alan's mouths dropped open and their eyes went wide.

"An' I'm better looking, too!" Hamish said with a grin and Koschei and Julie laughed. "Hey, I am!"

"How do you know?" Julie asked.

"Well, you ken what my dad looks like, eh?"

"Yeah, and he is cute."

"Do I look like him?"

"Yeah, a little," Koschei said, nodding his head.

"Well then, if he is cute an' I am his son, that means I am better looking than those two," Hamish said with a nod of his head.

"But you don't know what we look like," Adam said.

"Aye, I do. My dad showed me what Pa-paw looks like."

"Ah, but if you know what he looks like then you are also better looking than my brother because he is your grandfather's counterpart," Alan said.

"No, I'm nae. My pa-paw and the Doctor are way more handsome than I am," Hamish said and Koschei and Julie were bent over laughing.

"Hold it! Alan and I are the clones of your grandfather and the Doctor so we're just as handsome as they are," Adam said and Hamish shook his head.

"Copies are never as good as the original," Hamish said and the Doctor laughed while Adam and Alan walked to Hamish and he blinked his sightless eyes at them, feeling their feet near his. Suddenly he burst out laughing as he slid to the floor and leaned against the console.

"Smart ass," Alan said as the Doctor gently nudged him and Adam helped Hamish off the floor.

"An' proud of it," Hamish laughed and Adam ruffled his hair.

"Now that's over with, how about we go get Namid and Aderyn?" the Doctor said as he looked at the screen and saw the star cruiser going into hyper drive.

"Do you ken where they're going, Doctor?" Hamish said while the Doctor moved around the console then looked at him and smiled.

"Yep," he said then pulled the lever down and the TARDIS hummed around them.

Amos

The engines of the star cruiser hissed as the landing gear lowered and the star cruiser softly lowered itself to the ground. The ramp lowered when Tarmez walked in front of the guards and Namid and Aderyn was between them. Hushing Aderyn, Namid looked around when she saw a familiar blue police box sitting to the left and the Doctor leaned against the TARDIS. Alan, Amato, Adam, Koschei, Julie and Hamish stood next to him while Tarmez saw them and gave them a stunned look.

"What took you so long?" Alan said as Tarmez headed toward them and half dragged Namid behind him.

"Oi, not so rough, Birdman!" Adam shouted.

"Are you alright, Rainbow?' the Doctor asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok," Namid said, holding Aderyn to her chest.

"Now, hand them over or does my friend here get really pissed off?" Amato asked as lightning flickered from Koschei's fingers.

"Electric beats Flying Types," Adam said softly and Alan looked at him.

"Eh?' he said, frowning.

"Electrical pokemon defeat flying type pokemon. Everyone knows that," Adam said, slapping his hands against his thighs.

"Well, excuse me for not being up on my geek."

"Who are you calling a geek?"

"You," Alan said and Adam stood toe to toe with him.

"Oh, really, and who is the one that watched every episode of Lost?"

"Oi, you watched it with me!"

"That's beside the point. The point is…"

"The point is we're trying to get Namid and Aderyn back, so shut it!" the Doctor said as they looked down and frowned.

"Sorry," they said and the Doctor sighed, shaking his head.

"Right," he said then looked at Tarmez and growled. "Give them back."

"No," Tarmez said when he grabbed Aderyn out of Namid's arms and pushed Namid to the ground. Holding Aderyn against his chest, he looked at the guards and a small smile appeared on his face. "Kill them!"

Aderyn screeched when Tarmez flew into the air and the guards surrounded the Doctor and the others. Sighing, he looked at the others when he crossed his arms over his chest and gently kicked his left foot back and forth.

"Guess we'll have to do this the hard way then," The Doctor said as he looked at the guards and the guards pointed their laser blasters at them.


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter Eighty Two

The guards took aim while Namid got up then ran to the Doctor and he hugged her after she ran into his arms.

"I'm sorry," she said as he kissed the top of her head and smiled.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," he said while Koschei looked at the guards and lighting sparked from his fingers. Hamish held the stick tightly in his hands while the guards opened fire and Namid buried her face in the Doctor's chest. The guards were stunned when a blue light surrounded the Doctor and the others and the Doctor smiled.

"Love me a good force field," Amato said and Adam and Alan nodded.

"Julie, take Hamish and Namid inside and…" the Doctor said when Hamish walked to him and placed his hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

"I ken that I said I'd listen tae you, Doctor, but this is one time that I'm going tae ignore you. Let me help," Hamish said and the Doctor looked at him, sighed then nodded his head. Julie led Namid inside the TARDIS while Alan and Adam walked to the Doctor and Amato headed for Koschei then the Doctor looked at the guards. The guards screeched when they ran and Koschei bent his fingers, sending bolts of lightning into the air. Several guards grunted then fell to the ground after the lightning hit them and Koschei fired some more lightning at the guards that were about to sail into the air.

"Charge!" Alan shouted as he and Adam ran at two of the guards and tackled them to the ground. After punching the guards in the face and knocking them out, they got up and smiled at each other. "Let's go get them, Indiana!"

"Bugger, I forgot my hat," Adam said in reference to his Indiana Jones fedora and shrugged, running toward the next set of guards with Alan right behind him.

The Doctor and Amato fought while Koschei fired several bolts of lightning at the guards and Hamish stood perfectly still, the stick held tightly in his hands. The guards looked at him while blinking their eyes and titled their heads side to side.

"He is sightless. Why are they letting him fight?" one of the guards asked and he smiled at them.

"Come here an' find out why," he said as he wiggled two fingers at them and the guards shrugged, running toward him. The Doctor had knocked out two guards when he turned and watched Hamish swing the stick, knocking out four guards in one fluid motion.

"Blimey, remind me to bring you along more often," the Doctor whispered then turned and punched the guard sneaking up on him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Yee-ha!" Alan shouted as he jumped onto the back of one of the guards but the guard spun around and slammed him into the crates behind them and Alan grunted, sliding to the ground. "Ok, now that hurt."

Before the guard could fire the laser blaster he had pointed at Alan, Adam appeared behind the guard and tapped his shoulder, making him turn around.

"See this?" Adam said as he held up his right first and the guard nodded. Smiling, Adam punched him in the face with his left first and the guard spun around, falling to the ground.

"Guess he didn't know that you're left handed," Alan said as Adam helped him up and laughed.

"Yep, see, this hand…" Adam said as he flexed the fingers of his left hand then growled. "It's a fighting hand!"

"Didn't our brothers say that once?" Alan asked.

"Yep," Adam said and Alan patted his back. Suddenly a scream filled the air when they saw Hamish falling to his knees and the stick clattered to the ground. The guard pointed his laser blaster at Hamish then went flying through the air after Koschei fired a bolt of lightning at him and the rest of the guards flew away. The Doctor ran to Hamish as he rolled Hamish onto his back and Hamish half smiled at him.

"Let me look," the Doctor said while Alan and Adam ran inside the TARDIS and Hamish sighed.

"Guess I should have stayed home," Hamish said while the Doctor moved Hamish's hands away and looked at the blood rolling across his stomach.

"Nah, after today, you are a lives time member of my crew," the Doctor said when he moved Hamish's shirt up and looked at the torn flesh covering Hamish's stomach.

"Will you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Will you tell my dad how I died?" Hamish said then closed his eyes and passed out.

"No one's dying today," the Doctor whispered as Grace ran to them and softly brushed back some of Hamish's hair.

Daros sat on the throne while a female Amos with white feathers with red and orange tips danced in front of him and she was wearing thin pink and purple pants and bra and gold bands were on her biceps. Four other females were playing a flute, a guitar like instrument, a small drum and a harp while sitting on pillows and Daros sighed, tapping his fingers on the arm of the throne. Suddenly the doors slammed open as Tarmez walked into the room and held Aderyn in his arms. Aderyn softly chirped as Tarmez walked closer and knelt down on one knee, lowering his head.

"Sire, I have found the princess!" he said as Daros looked at Aderyn and smiled.

"Give her to me!" Daros said when Tarmez stood up and Aderyn looked at Daros. Tarmez walked to Daros when a loud wheezing and grinding sound filled the air and the Amos dancer ran while something formed at the center of the throne room. The TARDIS materialized as Aderyn giggled and the doors slammed open while the Doctor, Julie and Koschei walked outside, standing in front of the TARDIS.

"No!" Tarmez shouted when he stormed to the Doctor and held Aderyn tightly in his arms. "How did you get away from my guards?"

"It was rather simple really. I engaged my ship's force field then beat the snot of them," the Doctor said then glared at them. "But you did seriously injure a member of my family."

"Is he dead?"

"No, he's still alive."

"Such a pity," Tarmez said with a smirk on his face then backed up when the Doctor growled.

"Give me my daughter!" Koschei shouted and Daros looked at him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked and Koschei pointed to Aderyn.

"Give her to me!"

"She isn't yours."

"Finders keepers," Julie said as she walked to Koschei and and Daros blinked.

"I do not understand."

"I'm the one that claimed her after my family found her, so she's mine."

"You dare touch the princess?"

"Well, yeah," Julie said as Koschei slid an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. "And he did, too."

"Yep, changed her nappies and everything," Koschei said with a grin.

"This is an outrage! "

"No, what is outrageous is the fact that you killed her parents and left her to die!" the Doctor shouted. "Now give her back!"

"No!" Daros said then looked at Tarmez then at Aderyn. "Kill her!"

Before Tarmez could move, Julie ran to Tarmez then punched him in the stomach and Tarmez screeched, letting go of Aderyn. Julie ran back to Koschei while Tarmez fell to his knees and vomited on the floor. Aderyn flew into the air when she headed for Koschei and Koschei held his arms out. Aderyn flew into Koschei's arms as he cuddled with her and she softly cooed in his ear.

"Nabarri…Nabarri," Koschei whispered in Amos while he rubbed her back and she buried her face into his neck, wrapping one arm over his shoulder. Tarmez growled as he slowly stood up and glared at them. Koschei handed Aderyn to Julie while Tarmez ran at them when Koschei held his hands up and a ball of lightning flew from his hands, landing at Tarmez' feet. The impact launched Tarmez into the air as he waved his arms and legs around in circles and Koschei smiled, balling his hands into fists.

"Arwk!" Tarmez screeched then crashed to the floor and Koschei turned to Daros, sparks of lightning crackling from his fingers.

"Your turn, Mate!" Koschei said as he walked toward the throne and Daros looked at the Doctor.

"Do something!" Daros shouted as Koschei stood in front of the throne, slammed his hands down on the arms of the throne and locked eyes with him.

"What do you want me to do?" the Doctor asked.

"Stop him!"

"You're a big bird, stop him yourself," the Doctor said as Koschei growled and lightning flared in his eyes.

"He's going to kill me!"

"Well, you wanted to kill his daughter," the Doctor said then walked to the throne and stood next to Koschei. "And mine!"

"And, Mate, that is a BAD thing!" Koschei snarled and Daros looked at the Doctor, seeing that the Doctor's eyes were now black.

"Who are you?" Daros asked.

"He's Koschei, that's Julie and I'm…the Doctor!" the Doctor said and Daros' eyes went wide.

"You are K'Hari-Barrow?" he asked and the Doctor blinked.

"Who is K'Hari-Barrow?"

"He is the Oncoming Storm. The Death Bringer. The Destroyer of Worlds," Daros said and the Doctor's eyes softened.

"Yep, that's me. So are you going to let us take Aderyn or not?" the Doctor asked.

"No, I cannot allow her to live. What guarantee will you give me that she will not return and gather up a rebellion to dethrone me?"

"Well, it depends on her. I mean you did kill her father, right?"

"Of course I did! Pothos was weak and the weak are destroyed by the strong!"

"The hawk kills the dove," the Doctor whispered and Daros blinked.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about. So, Doctor, which one are you? Will you give me the princess and leave me to do my duty or are you going to destroy me?"

"I have a better idea," the Doctor said when he walked to the window then turned, wiggling a finger at Daros. Daros slowly got up while Koschei backed away from him and Daros walked to the Doctor. Looking out of the window, Daros watched while several beams of light appeared in the center of the villager and several Judoon stepped out of the light.

"I took the liberty of contacting the Shadow Proclamation before coming here. Seems that Pothos was a close friend of the Architect," the Doctor said when Daros turned around then stopped, seeing Koschei standing behind him.

"Going somewhere?" he asked and Daros sighed, looking down at the floor.

The Doctor watched while the Judoon loaded Daros, Tarmez and the rest of Daros' men into the prison shuttle and Gimalt and Tersha walked toward him. He had contacted Gimalt and told him what happened and Gimalt found out that the Amos elders had asked if he would return and become king. The Doctor and Gimalt were both surprised to find out that Gimalt was King Pothos' half-brother and The Doctor did a little bow when they stopped, standing in front of him.

"Your Highness," he said and Gimalt lightly blushed.

"That will take some getting used to," he said and the Doctor laughed.

"You've got a lot to get used to," he said, gently patting Gimalt's shoulder. "But don't worry. Councilor Xashion said that you can call her any time you feel overwhelmed."

"We thank you again, Doctor, for helping us."

"No problem. Um, Koschei asked me ask you if you want Aderyn back."

"No, my new found niece is better off with you and your family," Gimalt said then sighed. "Besides, you never know if something will happen to me."

"That's not going to happen. You are under my protection and I don't think there's an Amos here that wants to take on K'Hari-Barrow, eh?" the Doctor asked with a grin and Gamalt laughed.

"No, there isn't," he said when Tersha thought of something and tapped the Doctor's arm.

"How is the Sightless One?" she asked.

"Well, Grace was able to repair the damage, so he's going to be fine. Though I think his father might have a few words with him when we get home," the Doctor said and she smiled. "So, with that, I have to go."

"Be well, Doctor," Gamalt said as they hugged him and he nodded. They watched while he walked to the TARDIS then went inside the TARDIS, closing the doors behind him. They stepped back while the TARDIS dematerialized then turned and walked away.

New Gallifrey

The smell of cooking food filled the air while the HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY banner slightly flapped in the breeze and Aderyn blew out the candle on the cake. The Doctor had put her to sleep and erased the memory of her kidnapping from her mind and he smiled, holding Rain to his side.

"Told you I'd bring them both home," he said and Rain nodded.

"I'm glad that you removed what happened from her mind. I wouldn't like her being afraid every time she sees a bird or heard birds singing," Rain said and he nodded.

"Julie told me that they want Namid to be their permanent babysitter."

"What did Namid say?"

"She asked how much they're going to pay her," the Doctor said and Rain laughed.

"That's my girl!" Rain said and the Doctor shrugged then smiled. They both laughed when Aderyn plunged her hands into the slice of cake that Julie had placed in front of her and ran her hand over the top of her head.

"Oh, Sweetie," Julie said as Aderyn giggled then held up a mushy lump of birthday cake to Julie's mouth. Smiling, Julie placed the lump of birthday cake into her mouth and Aderyn smiled.

Koschei softly laughed when he looked over at Hamish and walked over to the lounge he was lying on. Grace had told him that Hamish almost regenerated while on the operating table and it hurt his hearts thinking about how he risked his life to save Aderyn. Julie had talked about finding a godfather for Aderyn a few times since they adopted her and Koschei knew there was only one other person besides Amato that was right for the job.

"How are you feeling?" Koschei sat when he sat on the lounge next to Hamish and Hamish sighed, gently rubbing the soft skin over his stomach. Even though Grace used the tissue regenerator, the skin on his stomach was quite raw and Koschei placed his hand on top of Hamish's hand.

"I'll heal," Hamish said with a half grin and Koschei nodded.

"What did your dad say about all this?"

"Well, after getting over being angry at me, he said that he was glad that I was alive but I'm grounded for the next five hundred years," Hamish said and Koschei laughed. "Mum said that was a wee bit harsh so it's only three months. Also my wife's mad at me an' I have tae sleep on the couch for the next month."

"Still want to go traveling?"

"Uh, no, I think nae," Hamish said, shaking his head.

"That's a shame. The Doctor says you're a great pilot."

"Aye, he told me that as well. Just the same, I'm staying right here."

"That's good because I need to ask you a favor."

"What sort of favor?"

"If you're up to it, Julie and I want you to be Aderyn's godfather," he said and Hamish's eyes went wide.

"But I thought that would Amato. He's your best friend."

"Who says I can't have more than one? So, what do you say?"

"I'd be honored!" Hamish said as they shook hands and Koschei patted the top of Hamish's hand.

"Thanks, Te'malro," he said and Hamish blinked.

"What did you call me?"

"See, nearly everyone has a Gallifreyan name and that's the one I picked for you. Do you know what it means?" Koschei asked and Hamish nodded.

"It means beloved protector."

"And that is what you are," Koschei said when something flew overhead then landed gently on Hamish's legs.

"Hammy!" Aderyn said as she bounced up and down and Koschei picked her up, gently placing her on Hamish's stomach.

"Hello, Little Bird," Hamish said.

"Hammy, me one," she said and held up one finger.

"Aye, you are at that."

"Hammy me coopa!" she said and Hamish looked toward Koschei, who had a stunned look on his face.

"What does that mean?"

"It's Amos for hero," Koschei said and Hamish picked Aderyn up, slowly sat up and hugged her. Suddenly Aderyn flew into the air then landed on Koschei's shoulders and gently pulled on his hair.

"Ride, Baba, me want ride," Aderyn said, bouncing on his shoulders. Shaking his head, Koschei slowly stood up as he held her against his head with one hand and Aderyn looked at Hamish. "Hammy, come!"

"Aye, Little Princess, I'm coming," Hamish said as he carefully stood up, picked up the stick and they slowly walked away.


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter Eighty Three

"And that was when I finally revealed myself to Alan and Rose and your aunt Awinita and Mingxia."

The children and Doc listened quietly while the Doctor told them about Morana and how he had been kidnapped by the Valeyard and enslaved. They had paused to get some sodas at one booth and were resting a moment on two benches near some of the game booths so the Doctor could tell them the whole story. The children were intrigued. They'd never heard the story of how their parents had met and how the Doctor had come to be Alan's brother. While he was talking, the rest of the group happened to be passing by and they walked over and joined them. Awinita started giggling when she realized what he was talking about. He backtracked a bit for Namor's benefit and then went on with his story, loving that now both Doc and Namor were giving him odd looks. By the time he was done, an hour had passed and the children, Doc and Namor were in complete disbelief.

"Mate, I don't know what to think," Doc said. "Especially your choosing to be a girl instead of a boy."

"Well, I thought a girl would be less threatening and they'd accept me into the group more readily than if I were a boy," the Doctor said. "But Rain was the first one who befriended me and that's how we became friends and then it grew into love."

"Mummy fell in love with you when you were a girl?" Chaska asked.

"No, son, I did reveal I was a man before I told her I loved her," he said as everyone laughed. "It would have been odd for both of us if I'd told her I was a man and loved her while I was still pretending to be female."

"And I actually saw all this thanks to his memory simulation thingy," Jack said. "Quite entertaining. Course it wasn't as entertaining as traveling with him during his ninth life and watching his awkward love affair with Rose but…"

"Awkward?" the Doctor said to him as Rose sniggered.

"Yes, awkward. God, it was like watching a virgin trying to ask a supermodel for a date. That and you going around pretending you had no interest in Rose when it was plain you had the hots for her."

"Are you quite finished, Harkness?" the Doctor said as Rain and Rose bent over laughing.

"Just saying, Doctor. You weren't fooling anyone back then," Jack said. "And might I add I was glad that by the time Rain came along you were a little more sure of yourself because I'm sure the poor girl would have never accepted your proposal if you'd walked around stammering and drooling all over her."

"I did no such thing. I never stammered or drooled on anyone," he said as Rain and Rose nudged each other. "And I…oh why am I even arguing with you, Harkness? Anyway, why don't we get back to having fun instead of listening to me rabbit on all day or listen to Jack's skewered version of my love affair with Rose. Go, go, have fun!" he said, waving them away.

Jack shrugged and winked at everyone as he put his arm around Ianto. Everyone walked away except for the Doctor's children.

"You really did dress up like a girl, Daddy?" Namid said.

"Yes, Mi-mi, I disguised myself as a girl to get close to your uncle. You don't believe me, ask your mummy and she'll back me up."

The Doctor got up and they threw their empty cups away before they moved on towards the next ride.

After riding a few more rides, Rain went to the restroom with Namid. The others decided to get on the tilt-a-whirl in the meantime so when they got back, Rain decided to get her and Namid some cold milk from a nearby concession stand while they waited for the others to return. They carried the plastic bottles of milk to a nearby bench, sat down and twisted the caps off.

"You enjoying yourself, baby?" Rain said to her as they drank the milk.

"Yes, I'm glad we came here."

"Me too."

"But…"

"But, what, honey?" Rain said.

"Daddy wants to teach me to defend myself."

"Yes, he told me. I think it's a good idea."

"I don't think I can do it, Mummy."

"Why? Because you can't see?"

She nodded and Rain put her arm around her.

"Baby, I'll let you in on a little secret. When your father told you about how we met, he didn't tell you that back then I was insecure and had low self-esteem and I didn't think I was good enough for him when he asked me to love him. I didn't think I could be his equal."

"Why?" Namid said.

"Well…because your father is very, very famous. People know him all over the universe and it's been that way for a long time. Before I met him, your Uncle Alan would tell stories about him and all the good he did and I was in awe of him so it was shocking when he actually asked if I would be his girlfriend. And then for the longest time, I was unsure of myself traveling with him and I thought I couldn't do it just like you but you see, baby, one of your father's greatest talents is he brings the best outta people and shows them their full potential and I went from being this shy, unsure girl to being his companion and helping him fight evil. That's what he's been trying to tell you all along, Mi-mi. That being blind doesn't matter. You still can help him fight bad guys if you believe in yourself."

She smiled when she saw her daughter thinking that over and saw the smile creep over her face before she took a drink of milk. While they were sitting together, Alan walked up and Rain's eyes boggled when she saw the three foot stuffed penguin in his arms.

"My God, where'd you get that thing?" she said.

"What you mean, Mummy?"

Rain showed her what was happening as Alan came up beside her.

"Whoa!" Namid said, reaching out and touching it. "Who's it for?"

"Me," Alan said proudly. "I won it in that game where you lob the ball at the bottles. There's a trick to doing it, of course, but me and my brilliant mind worked it out and I kept winning until I got Pengu here."

"Win one for me, Uncle Alan. I want a penguin!"

"Well…I'm not sure. My arm is a bit tired from throwing the ninety million balls I had to throw to win this beaut. But I'll consider it."

"I'll pay you!"

Alan raised his eyebrow.

"Pay me what?" he said as Rain eyed him.

Namid reached into her pocket and pulled out the credit stick that her father gave her as part of her weekly allowance. She started to give it to Alan but Rain put her hand on her arm.

"No, Mi-mi, you're not paying your uncle for a penguin he can give you for free," she said as she gave Alan a pointed look.

"Tell you what. I was planning to put this in the TARDIS since I don't feel like carrying it all day. I'll put it in your room and you can have it since you asked first."

Namid cheered.

"Thank you, Bro," Rain said as Namid put her credit stick back in her pocket.

"No problemo, I was teasing about keeping it. Rose would have kittens if I did. We have enough crap at home anyway. Oh…here's your ereader back, Mi-mi. Thank you for letting me use it," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling it out.

Namid put it back around her neck while Alan sat the plushie down on the bench beside her.

"And where can I get some de-licious moo juice?" he said, bending down and staring at Namid's milk.

"At that concession booth over there," Rain said, pointing to the stand near them.

"Ah! I will be back. Need some de-licious milk! Guard my penguin!" Alan said, strolling towards the concession stand.

While he was doing that, the Doctor walked up with Sokanon and Chaska. Both their eyes bulged when they saw the penguin.

"Cool! Can I have that!" Chaska said, running towards it.

"No! This is mine!" Namid said, pulling it to her. "Uncle Alan said I could have it cause I asked first."

"Alright, calm down," the Doctor said to her. "I'll see if I can win something for Chas and Soki then."

"Can I touch it?" Chaska asked Namid.

She nodded and Chaska rolled his eyes as he touched the penguin. The Doctor grinned as he examined it. He started chuckling.

"What? What's so funny?" Chaska asked.

"Heh, reminds me of Frobisher," the Doctor said.

"Who's that?" Sokanon asked.

"He was this Whifferdill I knew in my sixth and seventh lives. He was a shapechanging alien and most of the time when he traveled with me, he took the form of a penguin much like this one," the Doctor said, patting the stuffed penguin on the head.

"Can we go see him and say hello?" Namid asked.

The Doctor glanced at Rain.

"Well, uh…" he said.

"After we go to the circus?" Chaska said. "I'd like to meet him."

"Yeah, I wanna meet a talking penguin. Please, Daddy?"

Just then, Alan returned sipping his milk. He took a huge sip and smacked his lips.

"Nice and cold, just the way I like it," he said.

"Brother, I mentioned Frobisher since this penguin plushie reminded me of him and now the children wish me to go track him down so they can meet him."

"Do you know where he is?" Alan said.

"I assume he's on his home planet," the Doctor said. "Still running his detective agency."

"Actually, I thought he opened a pub. Bish's or something like that?" Alan said.

"Oh yeah, that's right, he was gonna do that."

"Can we go see him then?" Namid asked.

Alan snickered when the Doctor shot him a helpless look.

"Might be fun. Be interesting seeing the old bird again after all these years," he said, "or am I s'posed to distract the children and convince them we shouldn't go?"

"Let's just get through tonight, kids, and then I'll consider it, yeah? One thing at a time," the Doctor said.

The children nodded. The Doctor caught his brother's eye.

"Alan, can I have a word with you in private for a moment?" he said.

Alan nodded. As they walked away, Rain smiled at Sokanon and Chaska.

"Do you guys want some milk?" she asked them.

The Doctor stopped Alan when they were out of earshot of Rain and the children.

"What do you need, Brother?" Alan said.

"I came to a decision. I want to teach the children self-defense. I figure it'll come in handy especially considering what happened to Namid recently."

Alan nodded.

"I've also considered doing that with Chris. Perhaps we can train them together."

"I was hoping you'd say that. The problem is finding a way to train Namid and compensating for her blindness."

He explained his idea for training her hearing and Alan nodded in agreement.

"I like that idea and if you're looking for others, might I suggest one?"

"By all means," the Doctor said.

"The ear pieces we developed with the sonar technology. Perhaps we can make weapons for her that have the same technology embedded in them. They would beep and beep faster the closer an opponent got so she'd be able to judge the distance."

"Brother, that's brilliant."

"And…" Alan added. "I'm betting the beeping noise would be a distraction as well and keep her opponent from concentrating."

"I knew I could count on you," the Doctor said. "We have to tell the others as well, perhaps we can train all of the children, they're old enough."

Alan nodded at that. The Doctor patted his shoulder as they headed back towards Rain and the children.


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter Eighty Four

"Right, into the tub with you," Adam said when he picked up a three year old David and gently plopped him into the warm water. David was covered head to toe in mud as he looked up at Adam and Adam arched an eyebrow at him. "Hey, don't look at me like that. YOU were the one that got all mucky and icky!"

"But Chris pushed me in the puddle," David sighed as he swatted at the bubbles and Adam knelt down on his knees then leaned against the tub, placing his chin on his arm.

"And now he's getting a bath, too."

"Nuh-unh!" David said as he shook his head and Adam frowned, giving him a confused look.

"_Oh, Alan, may I have a word with you?" _Adam thought then felt Alan coming into his mind.

"_What's wrong?" _Alan asked.

"_Is Chris getting a bath after he and David decided to mud wrestle?"_

"_Nah, just washed him off with a hose then let him go."_

"See?" David said when he held his arms up and Adam nodded.

"_So you don't mind him being all smelly and covered in germs?" _Adam said when he felt Chris' mind pop into his head and smiled.

"_I'm covered in germs?" _Chris thought when Adam gave David a wink and David giggled. Suddenly Adam appeared in their heads and was wearing a white lab coat, a blue suit, a white shirt, red converse sneakers and a red bowtie and his glasses. Behind him was a chalkboard as he stood in front of it and placed his hands behind his back.

"What's with the bowtie?" Alan asked when he walked to him and Adam gave him a smug look.

"Bowties are cool," Adam said and smiled. Alan darted behind the blackboard then came back wearing a red fez and leaned against Adam.

"Wrong, Old Stinky Winky, fezzes are cool!" he said and Adam smacked it off his head. "Hey!"

"Bowties beat fezzes hands down!" Adam said when Alan ran after the rolling fez and the boys giggled. "Now, where was I? Oh, right, germs!"

Adam walked to the blackboard when he picked up the chalk then wrote on the blackboard. Germs was written in big letters as he tapped the blackboard and Alan walked toward him, wiggling his hips with his arms over his head and was swinging his hands side to side.

"Do-pa-doo, this is my funky monkey dance!" he said as he danced around Adam and Adam folded his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes.

"Want a banana?" Adam asked when he pulled the banana out of his pocket and tossed it to Alan.

"Ooo!" Alan said when he ran off to get the banana and the boys laughed. Walking to the blackboard, Adam picked up the pointer and tapped it on the blackboard.

"Now, let's get back to what I was talking about," Adam said when he drew two little cartoon boys wearing towels and one had DAVID written under it and CHRIS was written under the other one. The cartoon boys blinked when he made cartoon germs and the cartoon germs growled at him.

"Those are scary, Daddy," David said and Adam blinked as he broke the connection then placed David's head in his hands, putting his forehead against David's forehead.

"They're just drawings, Bump, they can't hurt you," Adam said softly and David smiled, placing some bubbles on the tip of Adam's nose. Wiping the bubbles away, he softly laughed then appeared next to Alan and Alan was writing ADAM IS A STINKY HEAD on the blackboard. Coughing, Adam pointed to the eraser and Alan erased what he wrote then walked away.

"Right," Adam said then went back to the blackboard and placed his hands behind his back. "Now, as you can see, these germs are scary and love to nibble on…"

"…I'm the baby…Gotta love me…Big purples eyes…I'm very cuddly," Alan sang as he walked toward Adam and dropped the banana peel on Adam's head. Sighing, Adam took the banana peel off his head and tossed it into the air, snapped his fingers and the banana peel vanished.

"Excuse me," he said as Alan stopped, turned around and rocked back and forth on his heels.

"Yes, may I help you?" he asked.

"Would you mind telling me why you are interrupting me while I am trying to explain why it's necessary for them to take a bath?" he asked and Alan walked to him, placed his elbow on Adam's shoulder and smiled at him.

"Well, it's because you are going to get too technical with them."

"I was not."

"Then why are you dressed like Doctor Germfree?" he said, pointing to Adam's outfit.

"I…ah….um…" Adam said then sighed, walking around the blackboard and came back wearing a t-shirt, jeans and white converse sneakers. "Is this better?"

"Oh, yes, much better!" Alan said, smacking his hands together.

"Right," Adam said when he looked at the blackboard then noticed that one of the cartoon germs wasn't on the blackboard. "Ok, where did it go?"

A large green cartoon germ in the shape of a circle with little hairs around it and big blue eyes bounced up and down from behind the blackboard and the boys giggled.

"It's behind the blackboard, Uncle Adam!" Chris said as they walked to the blackboard then looked behind it but the cartoon germ had rolled around to the other side of the blackboard and bounced up and down.

"It's in front of the blackboard now, Daddy!" David shouted as they turned around but the cartoon germ rolled behind the blackboard again and Alan scratched the top of his head. Suddenly the cartoon germ bounced up and down and stuck its pink and yellow tongue out at them.

"It's behind the blackboard again!" Chris shouted when Alan held up a finger and walked away. He came back with two large cartoon hammers when he handed one to Adam and Adam smiled. Cartoon running music played as they ran around the blackboard and chased the cartoon germ. Alan sat on the floor as he panted then got up and chased after the cartoon germ. They chased it when it bounced into the air and Adam ran off, leaving Alan to chase after the cartoon germ. He came back with a bow and arrow when he took aim and fired the arrow. The arrow hit the cartoon germ when it popped like a balloon and slowly swirled in circles as it fell to the ground. It vanished after hitting the ground as they looked at the blackboard and the other cartoon germs looked at them with scared looks on their faces.

"Right, is anyone else going to get snarky with me?" Adam said and the cartoon germs shook back and forth then ran off the blackboard. Handing the bow to Alan, Adam drew a bathtub filled with bubbles and some of the bubbles flew into the air. "Now, we all know that it's a good idea to take a bath but do you know why?"

"It's because we're all smelly and dirty and no one likes a smelly belly?" David asked.

"Correct!" Adam said with a grin and Cartoon David walked to the tub and slid the cartoon curtain around the tub. It moved the curtain back and was sitting in the tub, playing with the bubbles.

"And you can play with toys in the tub and Mommy won't get mad," David said when Cartoon David held up a toy submarine and dropped into the bubbles. Suddenly a siren sounded as a periscope came out of the bubbles, looked around and a cartoon eye winked at them.

"All clear, Sir!" Alan's voice said when the periscope lowered into the bubbles and Adam looked at Alan.

"Ah, yeah, now, it is important to wash your whole body, starting with the toes," Adam said and Cartoon David started washing its toes when a cartoon shark fin appeared in the bubbles and the theme to Jaws started playing. Adam took the eraser when he erased the cartoon shark fin and tossed the eraser at Alan.

"What, you never heard of tub sharks?" he asked and Adam puffed out his cheeks, sighing.

"Now I see why Chris doesn't want a bath," he whispered then looked at the blackboard. Cartoon David was using a fishing pole when the fishing pole bent down and it began to reel in something. Suddenly a large cartoon fish with green and blue scales appeared as it yelped and the cartoon fish snapped at it. Adam erased the fish while Cartoon David panted and its cartoon heart thumped in its chest.

"Daddy, this is getting scary again," David said when Adam broke the connection and stroked David's hair.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked but David shook his head and Adam kissed the top of his head.

"Where did you go?" Alan asked when Adam came back and walked to the blackboard.

"Had to check on something," he said then looked at the blackboard and Cartoon David was whistling as it cleaned one cartoon leg then the other one. "Now, having a clean bottom is also important, so wash that, too."

The cartoon curtain wrapped around the tub as the shadow of Cartoon David stood up and they giggled, watching it use the scrub brush to wash its bottom. The cartoon curtain moved back and Cartoon David was sitting back under the bubbles.

"Now it's time to wash the rest of the body, minding to scrub behind the ears," Adam said as Cartoon David started washing its body, arms, hands, neck, face and ears when one of the ears fell off and fell into the tub.

"What?" Alan said when Cartoon David reached into the water, flicked the water off its ear and placed it back on. Sticking its tongue out at Alan, Cartoon David finished washing and Adam smiled.

"Don't forget to wash your hair or you'll get nits," he said and Cartoon David reached down and picked up the cartoon shampoo bottle. It started washing its hair then rinsed the cartoon shampoo but had a bald head afterwards. Cartoon David glared at Alan when it pointed to its head and snapped its fingers.

"Well?" Adam said while he tapped his foot and Alan sighed, drawing hair on Cartoon David's head. "Now, after the bath is done, it is time to dry off."

The cartoon curtain appeared when they watched the shadow of Cartoon David stand up and used the towel to dry off. Tiny squeaking sounds filled the air as the boys giggled and the cartoon curtain moved back to show Cartoon David wearing a small cartoon dressing gown and bunny slippers. Little yellow lines surrounded Cartoon David and it smiled at them. Suddenly the periscope appeared in the tub as Cartoon David held up a cartoon torpedo and dropped it into the tub. BOOM appeared over the tub when a tattered white flag appeared and waved back and forth. The boys giggled as Adam laughed and Alan shrugged, smiling.

"So, Chris, do you want to take a bath or be a smelly belly?" Adam asked.

"I want a bath, Daddy," Chris said and Alan nodded, walking away. Adam broke the connection when he looked at David and David smiled at him.

"That was funny, Daddy," David said as Adam ruffled his hair then picked up the shampoo bottle and started to wash David's hair.


	85. Chapter 85

Chapter Eighty Five

After spending the day at the funfair, the Doctor and his family headed over to the big top for the circus. Thanks to his and Alan's efforts, Chaska had a large stuffed elephant and Sokanon a large stuffed unicorn. All the stuffed animals were stowed in the TARDIS before they headed to the circus tent. When they reached the entrance they showed their blue bracelets to one of the stagehands and he beckoned for them to follow him around the back to a smaller tent that had been set up. Beside the tent were several cages on wheels that housed some of the circus animals. Next to them, the elephants roamed around in a huge paddock made out of a force field. The stagehand let them look at the animals first. While they were staring at the lion in the cage, Namid saw her father in her mind's eye get in the cage and begin to beat up the lion.

"King of the beasts? Ha! You're a furry git compared to me!" he said as he pummeled the lion.

Namid giggled as he dragged the lion out of the cage by his tail. Using the tail, he spun him around and around over his head and then letting him go, he watched as the lion sailed away into the distance until he was a speck. The moment the lion hit the ground; there was a tremendous explosion and a huge mushroom cloud as the Doctor walked away whistling. The real Doctor patted Namid's head when she giggled at that. They saw tigers and giraffes and a couple of horses before they reached the elephants. Namid giggled when the Doctor projected an image of himself beating up the elephant and then twirling it over his head before he let go and the same fate happened to it that happened to the lion.

"You love abusing animals in your fantasies, don't you?" Rain said as everyone else laughed.

"Just showing the furballs who's boss," the Doctor said, shrugging his shoulders.

The stagehand took them into the smaller tent. Inside was a dressing room where the performers were getting ready. In one corner there were three lighted vanity tables where the clowns and other performers were putting on their makeup and on the other side were several folding screens where people were changing into their outfits. While they looked around, several more people wearing blue bracelets came in behind them. Everyone walked up and observed the performers putting on their makeup. The Doctor showed Namid what they were doing while he, his family and the other people stood nearby and watched. Rain noticed a huge grin spread over the Doctor's face and she raised her eyebrow.

"Ought-oh, what are you thinking about?" she said.

"Just wishing Mingxia could be here with us to see this," he said wistfully.

Alan sniggered as Rain swatted his arm.

"What's so funny about that?" Namor asked.

Alan looked at him.

"Mingxia has a fear of clowns," Alan said.

"And my husband thinks he's cute by cracking jokes about it," Rain said.

"The way I see it, the best way for her to get over that fear is to expose her to it which is why we should go back and get her. I think she'd love being here," the Doctor said.

"No, leave Mingxia alone, dear," Rain said to him.

"Blast," the Doctor said as Alan sniggered and patted his shoulder.

The stagehand led them out of the tent and back around to the big top. Inside, he showed them some props and explained how some of the performers trained for their acts. While they were doing that, Rain noticed people without bracelets were beginning to come inside and find seats on the wooden bleachers on the right side of the tent.

"I hope by the time this is over with, we'll still be able to find good seats," she said to the Doctor.

He glanced at the people filing in.

"Nah, we'll find good seats. We paid extra for these bracelets, surely that entitles us to seats," the Doctor said.

"I don't know, sometimes people like to rip others off," Awinita said. "You know, pay extra for something and then they say well thanks, bye now!"

"Nah, surely not," the Doctor said. "They wouldn't be that cruel. Besides, if they did, our children would beat them senseless."

"Yes, we would," Sokanon said. "I wanna see the show."

The stagehand finished up the tour and reached into his pocket, passing out fake gold coins. Each coin had an engraving of a tiger on the heads side and Farnum and Bros. Circus on the back with a small big top above it. The Doctor showed Namid what it looked like.

"Can we spend it on something?" Namid asked him as they headed towards the bleachers.

"No, I think they give those to us so we can make our friends jealous that they didn't take the tour," the Doctor said.

"Not much of a tour," Tara said.

"Yeah, is that all they have because if they do, this is gonna be a quick show," Awinita said.

"Maybe they didn't show us everything, just the main things," Dex said as they climbed the bleachers and found a spot near the top. They sat together on one long seat while several people began to climb the bleachers selling popcorn, sodas, hot dogs and souvenirs. They ordered some food and four circus flags for the children. The flags were blue with a tiger, elephant and clown on it and a Farnum and Bros. logo near the back by the long plastic straw that served as the flag pole. The children waved the flags and ate their food while they waited. Namid munched on her hot dog and drank her soda while he flag lay across her lap. While she ate, she saw her father in her mind's eye wave at her. Namid smiled and snuggled against him as the real Doctor rubbed her shoulder.

"Still want my version of the show?" he asked her.

Namid giggled and nodded. The Doctor gave her a firm kiss on the top of the head while Namid ate.

"Can we see the penguin person after this?" Namid asked, looking up at him.

"You're just bound and determined to meet Frobisher, aren't ya?" he said to her.

"Yes, I wanna say hello," Namid said. "What was he like?"

"He was a nice chap. He was a detective and he was dating a woman named Francine before he met me. They broke up but Francine was a penguin first and Frobisher imitated her and stayed with that form. He traveled with me and for awhile he traveled with another companion of mine called Peri."

"Did he poop everywhere?" Chaska asked as he leaned over and looked at him.

Namid giggled as the Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"He wasn't an actual penguin, he just took the form of one," the Doctor said. "He did know how to use the lavatory so no; there was no poo all over the TARDIS."

"Did he bite you?" Sokanon said, leaning up.

"Once again, he wasn't an actual penguin," the Doctor said as Alan giggled.

"Although, there were times when he certainly acted like one. I think he enjoyed being a penguin a bit too much," Alan said. "He rarely turned back into his true form."

"What was that?" Namid asked.

"Oh, about your height, sorta yellowish skin and a face that didn't have any features on it," the Doctor said. "Truth be told, his true form was odd to look at and I preferred the penguin."

Namid suddenly giggled and the Doctor stared at her. He tapped into her memory and noticed Alan was projecting a dancing penguin into her head.

"Oh ha ha," he said as he watched the penguin leaving massive hills of poop around his TARDIS console while he danced.

"Just entertaining the child," Alan said.

Alan glanced over when Rose leaned her head against his shoulder. He gave her a kiss on her head while she squeezed his hand. An evil smile spread over Alan's face and he projected the TARDIS into the Doctor's head after putting a privacy block up but this time, he panned away from the dancing penguin to the jump seat where he was sprawled on top of Rose snogging her brains out. He grinned when the Doctor looked at him and raised his eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?" he said to Alan as he put up a privacy block around his mind.

Alan grimaced when he saw his brother and sister completely naked and having sex on the floor of the TARDIS.

"Okay, really didn't wanna see that," Alan said aloud.

"And I wanted to see you and Rose?" the Doctor said.

"What are you doing?" Rose said, looking at him and Alan.

Both of them gave her innocent looks while Rain studied her husband.

"I know that look, you're up to something," she said to the Doctor.

To the Doctor's relief, the ringmaster came out and announced to everyone that the show was starting. He relaxed and put his arm around Namid and Rain as he thought of ways to amuse his daughter during the show.


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter Eighty Six

The soft hum of the engines filled the air while two pair of converse sneakers stuck out from under the console and rocked back and forth. Adam watched while Theta moved the sonic screwdriver over the wires then placed the sonic screwdriver between his teeth.

"Yuck," Adam said and Theta took the sonic screwdriver out from between his teeth.

"What?" he asked

"How can you do that after all the junk that thing's been in?"

"I will have you know that my sonic screwdriver is perfectly sanitary," Theta said with a smug tone in his voice.

"But it's been dropped in muck, slime and who knows what."

"Mini force field to prevent contamination," Theta said and gently tapped Adam on the head with the sonic screwdriver. They stopped talking as they went back to work when Adam sighed, looking up at the wiring. "Now what's wrong?"

"I was just thinking how different we are from the Doctor and Alan. They take the family and go off on adventures and we're doing this. How come we're not spontaneous?"

"I guess I never was the spontaneous type of a person. True, I did steal my TARDIS on the spur of the moment but I learned to be more careful as time went by."

"Different universe, different Doctor,": Adam said and Theta nodded. "But isn't it boring?"

"I guess but I'm happy," Theta said with a shrug of his shoulder and Adam nodded. Theta knew that Adam liked to do most of the things that Alan did and was a tiny bit jealous of the spontaneous nature of the Doctor and his family. Theta also knew that he was comfortable staying on New Gallifrey but didn't know why. Thinking for a few second, he pouted and placed the sonic screwdriver in his pocket. Adam watched as Theta slid out from under the console and stood up. He held his hand out as Adam stood up and Theta smiled, closing his eyes.

"_Attention Frankie, Marion, Cameron, Jamie, Jenna, Zoe, Donald, Cam and David, get your butts to the TARDIS a.s.a.p.!" _Theta thought and Adam looked at him with a confused look.

"What are you doing?" he asked when Marion, Cameron, Jamie, Jenna, Frankie and eight year old Zoe, Donald, Cam and David walked inside the TARDIS and Theta snapped his fingers, making the doors close.

"What's going on?" Marion asked while walking to Adam and Adam shrugged. Theta moved around the console as he pushed buttons, moved levers, flipped switches then looked at the screen and smiled. Pulling on the main lever, the rotor moved up and down behind the glass and the TARDIS hummed around them.

"Where are we going, Daddy?" Cam asked and Theta smiled, plopping down onto the jump seat.

"It's a surprise," he said then pulled Frankie down onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

"And what is the reason for this surprise?" Frankie asked and he gave her a stunned look.

"Do I need a reason to go off on a trip with my family?"

"Well, aye, you do, because you never do anything without a reason," Jamie said.

"He's right, Dad, you're not the spontaneous type," Jenna said.

"Well, I am now," Theta said then set up a privacy block and appeared naked in front of Frankie in her mind. She smiled when she appeared naked in front of him and he walked closer, kissing her lips. Frankie gasped when she whispered in his ear and Theta gave her a wide grin. "Um, Adam, call me when we land, eh? I'm about to be very spontaneous!"

They watched as Frankie got off his lap while he stood up and they ran out of the room. Frowning, Adam walked to the console as he looked at the screen and Marion stood next to him.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I don't know. It says "Nah-nah-na-nah-nah, I'm not telling."," Adam said then sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

Frankie sighed while Theta's hearts thumped softly in her ear and she moved her fingers through the soft hairs on his chest. She thought back to the first time she had ever heard a double heartbeat and how shocked she was when she saw them on the scanners her brother, Cameron, had created to show a full three dimensional image. She had read that a heart is the size of someone's fist but Theta's hearts were small to fit inside his chest cavity.

"_Like my TARDIS, they're bigger on the inside," _he has teased her after he woke up but he then explained that his cardio system was different than a human's and she loved the soft pulses thrumming in her ear. She also learned that he had a double nerve system and he felt pain more than a human. He would moan in his sleep most of the time and she wondered just how much he could stand before screaming.

"Mmm, that feels nice," his voice rumbled in her ear as she looked up at him and he smiled at her. His smile and sad chocolate brown eyes were the first thing she fell in love with and she still have to pinch herself to make sure that she was really here, lying next to him. "Can I ask you something?"

"What's wrong?" she asked and he softly laughed in her ear.

"Nothing is wrong. I just wonder if you're bored with me," he asked as she crawled on top of him and placed her arms on his chest, resting her chin on top.

"How can I be bored with you? You are the most amazing man I have ever known."

"But I don't go off and get in trouble like the Doctor does."

"Who's asking you to?"

"Adam doesn't think I'm spontaneous like the Doctor. He takes his family off on these long adventures and the riskiest thing I've done lately is organize Cam and Zoe's research trip to Alnari Seven."

"Again, who is asking you to?"

"I'm asking me. I never acted like this before. I would go off in my TARDIS and never cared what was behind the doors. If it was this tiny village in the middle of some forest with teddy bear people, I'd go exploring and get to know them. If it was this space station being attacked by Cybermen, I'd go fight them and save the space station. What is wrong with me?"

"Well," she said then kissed his chest. "I think it goes back to the crash. You nearly died, Love, and you should have regenerated."

"I couldn't because my TARDIS was dead. She had absorbed most of the Eye of Harmony and I used it to regenerate from my eighth life to my ninth life to this one but, with it gone, I couldn't."

"Does this TARDIS have that energy?"

"Yep, I put some of it in the coral before I gave it to Adam."

"Ah, well, like I was saying, you nearly died and a part of you changed the way you do things."

"So, gone is the wreck less me and here to stay is the safe and sound me? How boring," he sighed and she smiled.

"Only if you want to be that way," she said and he looked at the ceiling.

"No, I want to be more like the Doctor. I mean I am silly and, I hope, fun to be with but…"

"The wise and brilliant Theta is scared?" she asked and he gave her a sad puppy look.

"Uh-hunh!" he said and she kissed his lips.

"So, your idea of spontaneity is mind blowing sex and going who knows where?" she asked and he slowly moved his fingers up and down her back.

"Yep," Theta said, popping the "p" and she giggled.

"So, where are we going?" she asked and he slid his hands along her lower back and wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

"It's a surprise," he said with a grin and she sighed, shook her head and started kissing him again.

The snow blew in small circles as the TARDIS materialized and the doors opened. Theta walked outside while wearing only his brown pinstripe suit, a white shirt, a brown tie, white converse sneakers and his long brown coat and he smiled, looking up at the large waves of frozen ice. Frankie walked outside as she adjusted the fur lined hood of the white parka she was wearing and the white ski pants clung to her legs. She was also wearing two, white fleece jumpers under the parka, white gloves and white ski boots and her eyes went wide while she walked to Theta. Alan and Cameron walked outside and were wearing blue ski jackets, blue fleece jumpers, blue ski pants and black boots and Cameron had a black woolen cap on his head. Marion, Zoe and Jenna were wearing the same outfit as Frankie except that Marion's was pink, Zoe's was purple and Jenna's was tan. Donald, Cam and David came out wearing black ski jackets, white jumpers, black ski pants, black boots and gloves and David had a gray woolen cap on his head.

"Where's Jamie?" Theta asked as Jenna smiled and pointed. Jamie came out wearing a green snowsuit with a fur lined hood pulled tight enough to only show his eyes, black boots and gloves and had two scarves wrapped around his neck. "Um, I thought Highlanders liked the cold."

"Not this Highlander," Jamie's muffled voice said as he half waddled closer and the kids giggled.

"I just hope he doesn't have to pee," David said as Jamie glared at him, sighed then turned and half waddling back to the TARDIS. Jenna ran to help him as Adam high fived David and Theta laughed. Jenna and Jamie returned a few minutes later and Jamie was wearing a red parka with a fur lined hood, a scarf, two jumpers, thick woolen trousers and black boots and he gently whacked the back of David's head as he walked by.

"So, Brother, mind tell us where we are?" Adam asked.

"I'm sure Marion knows where we are," Theta said while Marion looked around then her eyes went wide and she gasped.

"This is Woman Wept," she said and he nodded.

"Why do they call it that, Daddy?" Cam asked.

"It's because this continental landmass is shaped like a woman weeping," Theta said when he projected what it looked like into their minds and the kids smiled.

"That is so cool!" Donald said.

"But what are we standing on?" Zoe asked.

"Well, believe it or not, we are standing on the surface of the largest ocean on this planet. In fact, all of the oceans are frozen," Theta said, looking at the large waves made out of solid ice. "I'm not sure exactly what happened but they were frozen in some fantastic natural disaster and some of the waves of ice are over one hundred feet tall."

"Whoa!" David said as he looked at the curving ice wave to his left and nearly fell onto his bottom as he tried to see how tall it was.

"And what does one do with waves of solid ice that are over one hundred feet tall?" Cameron asked.

"This!" Theta said when he started running then slid on the ice and laughed.

"Oh, yeah, I got to try that!" Cameron said when he ran then slid on the ice and bent his fingers. Suddenly he flew up the side of the ice wave as he moved up and down then upside down on one of the small ice curls and Theta frowned, placing his arms over his chest.

"Cheeky showoff!" he said then smiled and Frankie looked at Jenna. Shrugging, they ran then slid on the ice, followed by the kids then Marion and Adam looked at Jamie.

"Coming?" Adam asked.

"Nah, you go ahead," Jamie said while Adam ran then slid on the ice and howled. Watching the others having fun sliding on the ice, Jamie sighed then stood his full height and ran. "Creag an tuire!"


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter Eighty Seven

"Easy," Jenna whispered while carefully lowering Jamie down onto the bed and Jamie sighed, looking up at the ceiling. A pillow was resting under his bottom as he moaned and she slowly got on the bed, sitting next to him.

"Och, my aching bottom," Jamie whispered as she kissed the top of his head and he held her hand to his chest.

"Well, you were doing ok until you had to stop."

"Aye, an' if Cameron hadnae soften my fall, I think I would have broken something," he sighed as she carefully crawled to his feet and removed his socks, rubbed the feeling back into his feet. He lifted his head as she unbuttoned his trousers then moved the zip down and he placed his head against the pillow. "If you're excepting me tae lift anything, you are out of luck. I am too sore tae move."

He looked up against as she slowly slid the trousers down his hips then down his legs and tossed the trousers to the floor. She climbed over him as she got off the bed and slowly slid his legs under the bedding and covered him to his waist. She unbutton his shirt then gently slid his arms out of the sleeves and slid the shirt up his back, moving it out from under his head. She moved the bedding up then crawled onto the bed and folded his arms on his chest, kissing his hair.

"Now that's impressive," he said as she softly laughed and snuggled on the bed, moving tenderly next to him. He moved his arms away as she placed her head on his chest and her hand rested on his shoulder.

"Used to do that when you would black out," she said as he thought back to when he had to share his mind with the other Jamie McCrimmon, who had opened the fob watch and reunited the two halves of his mind. He still felt guilty over the fact that the other Jamie died after opening the fob watch and his mind took control of his body. The only one who knew what it was like to have someone inside their body while their mind was somewhere else was Cameron but the results were completely different. Cameron was still inside his own body where Jamie was inside of the body of his descendent.

"That wasnae me," Jamie sighed and she felt the skin tighten under her cheek.

"Then it must have been some other Jamie who used to smile at me and would whisper in Gaelic that he was able to do it," she teased as she looked up at him and stroked his arm. "Jamie didn't know how to speak Gaelic."

"Mi gradh sibh le all my cridhes," Jamie said and she went onto her elbow then placed her head in her hand. Mi gradh sibh le all my cridhes translated into "I love you with all my hearts" in Scottish Gaelic and she smiled, kissing his lips.

"Right back at you," she said then carefully crawled on top of him and he slid his arms around her back. Neither of them noticed the door closing as Theta smiled and walked down the hallway.

"Right this way," Theta said while leading his family down the long stretch of white sand and the crystal blue water sparkled in the sunlight. He had picked a private beach on the pleasure planet of Fantalli Three and Adam tried not to laugh at Theta's hips swing side to side as he marched down the sand. He did look a little out of place, wearing his brown pinstripe suit, a white shirt, a brown tie, white converse sneakers and his brown coat. Stopping just a few feet from the local drink stand, Theta placed the beach umbrella that was bouncing on his right shoulder into the sand and opened it. It was done in a rainbow of colors and netting fell to one side as he swept it back and looked at them. "This will keep those pesky bugs off of us. Oh, they're not deadly or anything, just annoying."

"Whatever you say, Dear," Frankie said as she spread the large blanket under the umbrella and sat down. She was wearing a bright blue bikini, Marion was wearing a red bikini, Jenna was wearing a green bikini and Zoe wore a purple bikini with a little skirt wrapped around her waist. The boys were wearing blue swim trunks with Sponge Bob Square Pants on them and Jamie was wearing white shorts and a white t-shirt with SCOTLAND on the front. Cameron was wearing jeans, white sneakers and a blue t-shirt and had his hands out while floating the cooler, several towels and a bag with beach toys and sunscreen inside it in front of him. When he came to the blanket, he carefully lowered everything onto the blanket then sat down next to Frankie. Adam was wearing a blue speedo, which he was gently pulling out of his bottom, and Marion softly giggled at him.

"Told you that it was too small," she teased as she sat down on the blanket and Adam arched on eyebrow, crawling over her legs and rested on top of her. "Um, the kids are watching."

"So?" Adam said as he kissed her and she gently pushed him off onto the sand. Frowning, he walked to Theta then placed his head on Theta's shoulder and sighed. "Marion's being mean to me."

"Disrespectful," Theta said as he nodded and Adam walked to Marion, looking down at her.

"Wife, I will not tolerate any disrespect! I demanded an apology!" Adam said as Marion yawned, lying down on the blanket and closed her eyes. "Are you listening to me?"

"No, I am not listening to you," Marion said as she stuck the tip of her tongue out of the corner of her mouth and he growled.

"Right, there is only one way to deal with disrespectful women!" Adam said when he picked Marion up and carried her to the water. Her legs kicked the air as she laughed and he looked at her then at the water. "So, Wife, do you have anything to say to me?"

"Only that your bum is sticking out of your speedo," she said while looking over his shoulder. Yelping, she flew into the air after he tossed her toward the water and the water splashed around her when she went into the water. Laughing, Adam ran into the water as he swam out to her then stopped when she went under the water. Gasping he looked down when she came back up and held his speedo over her head.

"Hey!" he shouted as she headed for shore then ran to the blanket and the kids were sitting on the sand, laughing. "Ok, come on, this water's cold. Give it back!"

"Come and get it!" Cameron shouted as Adam looked at him and blinked.

"No way," Adam said when a pair of blue swim trunks floated to him and he took hold of them, dived under the water then came back up. He came out of the water when he walked to Marion and she gasped when he shook the water out of his hair. Theta sat next to Frankie while they watched Marion get up then Adam chase her back into the water and Theta laid on his back, looking up at the aqua blue sky.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Frankie asked as she undid his tie and unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt.

"Yep," he said then noticed Cam standing next to him with a plastic bucket in his hands and arched an eyebrow at him. "And what do you have in there?"

"This!" Cam said when he dumped the water onto Theta and Theta gasped, feeling the cold water on his chest. Growling, he got up when he chased after Cam and Frankie laughed while Theta grabbed hold of Cam, spun him in a circle then collapsed on the sand with him. Getting up, she went to join them as Theta took her hand and they walked down the sand.

Jamie watched Jenna and the twins playing in the water when he sighed and went to lie down on his back, looking up at the sky.

"Can't swim?" Cameron asked as Jamie looked at him and shook his head.

"The Doctor, uh, Theta tried tae teach me how tae swim a long time ago but I just couldnae get the hang of it," Jamie sighed when Jenna ran to him and sat down next to him.

"Come on, Highland, come swim with us," she said as she pointed to the twins and Jamie sat up, placing his wrists on his knees.

"I cannae swim," he said then looked at her with a stern look on his face. "An' I dinnae want tae learn how. I already had one bad experience on this trip. I dinnae want tae drown as well."

"Come with me," she said as she stood up and he took her hand, standing up. "Cam, will you look after the twins?"

"Sure," Cameron said when they walked away and the twins ran to the towel, sitting next to him.

"Where are Mommy an' Daddy going?" Donald asked.

"I have no clue," Cameron said, shrugging.

"Well, will you come an' look for shells with us? Pa-paw said there's some near the tide pool," Zoe said and Cameron smiled.

"Sure," Cameron said when they got up and he took their hands while they walked down the sand.

Theta had become concern when he walked to the blanket and found that Jamie and Jenna were gone. Cameron told him that they went inside the TARDIS and Theta hoped that everything was alight. He did know that Jamie was still smarting from falling on the ice as he headed toward the medical bay but was surprised when he was standing in the doorway to the pool. Leaning on the doorway, he watched while Jenna held onto Jamie while he floated on his back and she was talking softly to him. Jamie was wearing white bathing trunks as he moved his hands in soft circles and gently kicked the water. Theta could just see Jamie nod his head as she let go of him and Jamie started sinking. Theta wanted to run to his aide as Jamie started laughing and shrugged.

"Want to try again?" Jenna asked, wiping the hair out of his eyes.

"Aye," Jamie said with a nod of his head and Theta softly laughed, walking away.

The fire crackled while soft music played from the cd player and the kids were toasting marshmallows on some sticks. The sky was clear and bright with stars while Theta rested on his back and was watching a meteor shower moving across the sky. Feeling Frankie's lips on his, he looked up at her when she sat next to him and giggled at the blue and green print shirt he was wearing. He had changed into shorts as well and she wiggled her fingers in his chest hair.

"Oi, you like touching my chest hairs, don't you?" he asked with a concerned look on his face and she nodded.

"It feels like velvet," she said as he made an "O" with his mouth and smiled. She went to lie down next to him as she placed her head on his chest and he stroked her hair. "So, are you ok?"

"Well, I'm on a beach with my darling wife and my family and am looking up at the most amazing meteor shower I have seen in ages. So, yeah, I am definitely ok," he said as she smiled and he kissed the top of her head. He sent love into her mind when he felt like he was being watched and looked to his left, seeing Adam standing over him with a plastic bucket in his hands. "Ok, Brother, what is in there or am I about to get wet?"

"The second one," Adam said as Frankie got out of the way and the cold water caused Theta to gasp.

"Right," he said then got up and Adam yelped, running down the sand. Theta chased him half way back to the TARDIS then turned around and ran back to the blanket, plopping down next to Frankie. "Blimey, he got away."

"Aw, poor you," she said while drying his chest off then noticed that they were the only ones on the beach and she pushed him onto his back. "Do you know what I always wanted to do?"

"No, what did you always want to do?" he asked when she pulled the netting down and snuggled close to him, placing her head on his chest.

"I always wanted to sleep on the beach."

"Whatever my lady wants," he said softly as they closed their eyes and the soft sounds of the ocean and the fire crackling was the last things they heard as they drifted off to sleep.


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter Eighty Eight

Namid was having the time of her life. While the others enjoyed the show, she was watching her father's antics. Since the show started, he had milked the elephants, made Daleks jump through a flaming hoop and when the 5 man high wire act made a pyramid, he showed himself walking out on the wire while he drank a cup of tea. He climbed up and over the people on the pyramid and walked on across the wire while he sipped his drink. Now it was the trapeze artists and he showed himself to her as the catcher and every time someone did a flip over to him, he pulled his hands away at the last minute and said, "PSYCH!" as the person fell into the net. Rain tousled her hair, glad that her daughter was having such a good time and laughing even though some of the people around her were giving her odd looks. When the act ended, the Doctor let her know and she applauded and waved her little flag. Then a female bareback rider came into the ring with three white horses, riding one of them and flipping from one to the other. Namid giggled when the Doctor suddenly came up beside them in a horse and buggy.

"Evenin'," the dream Doctor said to the bareback rider, "nice night for a ride, eh?"

Alan glanced at the Doctor and tapped into Namid's mind to see what was going on. He observed the horse and buggy and projected himself into her mind riding something similar. Namid laughed harder when the two brothers suddenly challenged each other to a race and zoomed around and around the ring, bypassing the bareback rider several times as they hit each other and their horses with large sticks.

"Go, Daddy!" Namid said aloud as the Doctor snickered.

"Oi!" Alan said to Namid as she laughed harder. "Root for me, not him!"

"No, I want Daddy to win!"

Alan glanced at Rose. He grinned and showed her what they were doing and then projected her into the fantasy as an Amazon woman on the back of his coach. Rose laughed as she watched herself trying to cut the Doctor's head off with a sword while he ducked and dodged it.

"Hey!" the Doctor said as Namid laughed harder. "Okay, then. Oh…Rain…"

He brought her into it and gave her dream self a sword and Namid laughed as Rain and Rose had a sword fight on the back of the coaches while Alan and the Doctor hit each other up at the front. The rest of the family looked at Namid as she bent over laughing and the Doctor showed the rest of his family what she was seeing and they laughed with her.

When the show was over, everyone got one more soda and walked back to the TARDIS. Namid walked with her brother, sister and cousin, waving her little flag with one hand while she held on to Sokanon's hand with the other. Chaska looked over his shoulder at his father.

"Are we gonna go see the penguin now?" he asked.

The children stopped and waited for his answer as the Doctor groaned. They frowned when he mumbled his answer.

"What did you say, Daddy?" Chaska said.

"I said, muh, muh, moo, muh, muh, muh, does that answer your question?" he said as the adults chuckled.

The children gathered around him and begged him to take them to see Frobisher. The Doctor looked helplessly at the others. Alan put his hands in his trouser pockets and walked up to the children.

"Hey," he said.

"What?" the children said in unison.

"Why do you continually torment this old codger? Don't you know that he's one step short of being an OAP?" he said.

"Come again?" the Doctor said.

"What's an OAP?" Chaska asked.

"Old Age Pensioner. Someone who is very old and lives off government money…and lives with lots of cats…and knits little booties for non-existent grandchildren…except he has grandchildren but they're all grown so the booties are useless. But anyway, spare the poor man, his tickers can't take much more stress."

They all jumped and spun around when they heard a loud boom and to their relief, they saw fireworks above the tent. The Doctor showed Namid what was going on while everyone stood and watched them. Alan nudged Jack and took Rose in his arms. He kissed her just as one of the fireworks burst and let out a gigantic boom that vibrated their bodies.

"See," Alan said, coming up for air, "I'm such a great lover, the earth shakes."

"Hmm, let me try that," Jack said.

He grabbed Ianto and kissed him and waited for another booming firework. Finally after three minutes, he heard the boom and let go. Everyone laughed at Ianto's stunned expression as Jack shrugged.

"See, I can make the earth shake too. Takes awhile but it happens," he said.

"I'm just glad they finally fired one off," Awinita said. "I think Ianto was about to suffocate."

"Yes, but on the other hand, it wouldn't be a bad way to go," Ianto said.

The fireworks ended and they walked back to the TARDIS.

"Okay, before we go find the penguin, anyone wanna go home?" the Doctor said when everyone was inside.

"I'm going, I wanna see this Frobisher for myself," Awinita said.

"Yeah, I wanna meet the talking penguin," Rose added.

Everyone told the Doctor they wanted to go meet Frobisher and the Doctor walked over to the console.

"Okay," the Doctor said to his ship while everyone giggled, "remember Frobisher? This lot wants to meet him so if you could find him and take us to him, I would be much obliged, otherwise I have to listen to everyone whining about why we aren't going to see the talking penguin."

The TARDIS grumbled out laughter and then fell silent. Sokanon came up beside her father and rested her arms on the rim of the console.

"Is the TARDIS thinkin'?" she asked him.

"Yes. That and she's scanning for Frobisher," he said to her.

After a few minutes, the rotor came to life and the TARDIS flew into the vortex.

"Here we go, off to find Frobisher," the Doctor said. "I just hope he's happy to see us."

The TARDIS flew for approximately ten minutes and the powered down.

"Here we go, moment of truth," the Doctor said.

They stepped outside into a futuristic looking city. The buildings around them were made of a shiny silver material and glass; some looked like normal skyscrapers and others like huge domes. Hovercars flew through the air as they walked along the exceptionally clean pavement in search of Frobisher or Bish's. They passed by a few pubs and looked inside at the interior. The ones they saw were sterile looking, stainless steel walls with no decoration, furniture and bar and the patrons were drinking quietly and speaking softly while soft bland music played.

"Ugh, how boring can you get?" Jack said after they passed the third pub.

They looked around at the Whifferdills, a few were in their normal form but most of them had shape shifted into a variety of objects including one taking the form of a tree. He was leaning against a light post talking to a dog. Everyone stopped and stared at them for a moment until the dog caught sight of them and growled menacingly. After looking around, the Doctor finally stopped a large fish and asked where Bish's was. The fish pointed his fin down the street and the Doctor thanked him and they went on their way while the children followed them and looked back at the fish who was now lighting up a cigar. They passed by several more businesses until they saw a wooden sign hanging over the door of a wooden building. The building looked completely out of place among the silver and glass buildings but the sign confirmed that it was indeed Bish's. They went up to the open door and noticed that the wood building wasn't the only thing different about the place. Unlike the other sterile pubs, this one resembled a cozy English pub with wood interiors furniture and bar. There were pictures on the walls along with some sports memorabilia and an old dart board hung on the back wall. Another difference between Bish's and the other pubs was that the patrons were noisier and the radio was tuned to a rock station. The place was nearly packed which was a testament to how popular it was. And behind the bar on the right side of the building was Frobisher. He was standing on a stool speaking to a woman who had bright orange skin, yellow hair and four breasts that were concealed under a bright red tank top. Frobisher was making her a purple martini while he talked to her. The Doctor, Rain and Alan kept the children close to them as they walked over to the bar. Frobisher noticed them and smiled.

"Evenin'," he said to them. "Welcome to Bish's . I'll be with you lot in a moment."

They waited till he finished making the drink and gave it to the woman. The Doctor raised his eyebrow when the woman giggled and pinched Frobisher's cheek, making him blush. He cleared his throat and turned his attention to the Doctor as the woman sipped her drink and talked to a whifferdill beside her who was disguised as a tiger.

"What can I get you, mates?" he asked, picking up a cloth and drying the counter.

"Actually, we came to see you," the Doctor said.

"Oh really? Well, it's nice to know my fame has extended offworld and my humble pub is being visited by tourists," Frobisher said.

"This is the Doctor, Frobisher," Sokanon said, pointing to him.

"Doctor? I'm not ill, love. I don't need…"

He shut up when the words sank in and his eyes widened as he looked at the Doctor who was grinning ear to ear.

"Not THE Doctor," he said.

"The same. Nice to see you again, Frobisher," the Doctor said.

Frobisher let out a stunned Awwwk and fell off his stool. The children gasped and climbed up on the bar stools trying to see over the bar.

"Frobisher, you okay?" Chaska said as he tried to look over the counter.

"I'm okay," Frobisher said, dusting himself off and climbing back up on his stool.

He stared at the children.

"Who are they?" he asked the Doctor.

"These three," he said, pointing to his children, "are my children. And the one on the end belongs to my brother, Alan."

He pointed to Alan and Frobisher's beak dropped open when he saw him and Doc.

"Blimey, what is this, some sort of optical illusion?" he asked.

"Is there somewhere where we can talk? It's a long story," the Doctor said.

"Well, I can get my assistant Janos to mind the pub while we talk. Problem is, there isn't any room in here for all of us. As you can see, it's crowded."

"We can go and talk in the TARDIS. I'm sure you wanna see her again," the Doctor said.

"Awwwk! Do I! I've missed her and all the adventures I had when I rode in her. I'd be more than happy to walk with you, just let me fetch Janos."

He hopped down off the stool and waddled to the back wall where he opened a sliding door. He waddled through and closed it shut while the Doctor and his family waited for him. While they waited, Alan suddenly felt a finger sliding down his back. He looked behind him at Rose but she was talking quietly to Donna and wasn't even paying attention to him. Then he felt a finger going down his cheek and turned to see the orange woman smiling seductively at him as her finger went from his cheek down his arm.

"Hello, Handsome," she said. "My name's Tiger Lily, what's yours?"

"Happily Married," Alan replied as Rose stopped talking to Donna and both women eyed her.

Tiger Lily ignored the look of death coming from Rose and giggled.

"Oh love, you think being married's stopped me before?" she said to Alan. "I've had many married men for clients."

"Excuse me, Tiger Lily," Rain said, "there are children present. So could you stop propositioning my brother in front of them? He just told you he was married."

"Yeah, to me," Rose said, stepping up beside Alan. "And if you know what's good for ya, you'll leave him alone or you're gonna end up with a black eye."

To their surprise, Tiger Lily got up off her stool and stood in front of Rose, giving her a haughty look. Alan wrinkled his nose when he smelled the pungent smell of alcohol on her breath and he guessed she was more than a little tipsy. He looked back at the children who were watching with quiet curiosity except for Namid who was asking her father what was happening. The tension was thick and everyone in the pub stopped to watch but thankfully, Frobisher came back out before fists started flying. Alan pulled Rose away while he gave Tiger Lily a look of warning. Tiger Lily shrugged and went back to her drink. 

"Slag," Rose muttered under her breath as Alan squeezed her shoulder.

The Doctor led everyone out of the pub as Janos took Frobisher's place behind the bar.


	89. Chapter 89

Chapter Eighty Nine

"Yipe!" Frankie yelped when the first wave of the incoming tide touched her toes and she sat up, rolling Theta off of her. Quickly they gathered up the blanket and umbrella as they headed for the TARDIS and Adam opened the doors then leaned against the side of the doorframe.

"Got wet, did ya?" he asked as Theta glared at him and Adam laughed. The doors closed as he followed them inside and the soft sound of gears grinding filled the air while the TARDIS dematerialized.

The papers flew in small circles while the TARDIS materialized in an alleyway and several posters on the walls fluttered in the breeze. The doors opened while Theta walked outside and the rest of his family followed him. Turning, he closed and locked the doors then placed his arm around Frankie's waist and they walked down the alleyway. Both buildings on either side of them were stark white and a small creature with orange and black stripes sat watching them as they walked by a blue rubbish bin. The creature looked like a cat except for two curved antennae above its sky blue eyes and had six long legs.

"Nice kitty," Adam said as it yawned then closed its eyes and Adam smiled. Theta looked out from the alleyway when they headed down the pavement and Marion looked at the hover cars moving above them.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"This is Dalnami Four, home of the biggest indoor children's museum! There are hands on activities and an antigravity room!" Theta said and the children "ooo"ed.

"Boring!" Adam said then stretched his arms while yawning and Marion gently nudged him in the ribs. "What? It sounds boring."

"Playing in an antigravity room is boring?" she asked while they walked along when Zoe noticed a sign on one of the walls and frowned. A red circle with two black figures was on the sign and a red slash cut across the figures.

"Pa-paw, what does this mean?" she asked while pointing to the sign and Theta walked to her, looking at the sign.

"Now that's odd," he said then tapped a woman with blue skin and yellow eyes and she stopped, looking at him. "Excuse me, but what does that mean?"

"Oh, you must be new," she said when she eyed Adam and arched one eyebrow at him. "It says "No Clones"."

"What's wrong with clones?" Jenna asked and the woman looked at her.

"They are an abomination," the woman said then walked away and Adam walked to Theta, watching the woman walk into one of the shops.

"What should we do?" he asked and Theta turned, heading down the pavement. Shrugging, Adam and the others followed him and Jamie noticed the look in Jenna's eyes.

"_Well, I happened tae think clones are dead sexy!" _he thought as she smiled at him and Marion slid her arm around Adam's waist.

"_And so do I!" _she thought and Adam placed his head on top of her head. Theta checked the street map that was posted on one of the lamp poles when they heard a loud siren blaring and the people immediately ran inside buildings and shops.

"ATTENTION PLEASE, WE HAVE A CODE SEVEN IN PROGRESS. ALL CITIZENS ARE TO GO INSIDE IMMEDIATELY! REPEAT, WE HAVE A CODE SEVEN IN PROGRESS. PLEASE GO INSIDE THE NEAREST BUILDING IMMEDIATELY!" the voice said over the speaker on the top of the light pole and Theta led them into one of the shops. They watched as people cleared the streets when they saw someone running down the pavement and looked behind him with fear in his eyes. He was a tall man with long black hair and green eyes and was wearing tan overalls and brown work boots. Suddenly several people dressed in black body armor, black helmets and black boots ran by and the man screamed when one of the people dressed in black tackled him to the pavement.

"What is going on?" Theta demanded as he stormed to the information desk and the young, blonde haired girl simply sighed, looking at the screen.

"They're just catching a clone. No big deal," she said and Theta slammed his hands onto the counter.

"What do you mean it's no big deal? What are they going to do to him?"

"They're going to destroy it, what else?" she asked plainly and Theta's eyes went wide.

"What?" he shouted when a man with slicked back black hair walked closer and tapped him.

"Is there something wrong?" the man asked and Theta turned toward him, his eyes black and the man moved back.

"Did you know that they are going to kill someone just because they're a clone?" he asked and the man nodded. "And you're just going to let it happen?"

"It's the law," the man sighed with a shrug and Theta growled.

"But that's a living being!"

"Sir, please settle down, there is nothing we can do," the man said then walked away and Theta sighed. Walking to the window, he watched as the clone was picked up off the pavement when the people in black armor led him away and Theta balled his hands into fists. The all clear was sounded as they left the shop and Frankie held him to her side. One of the black armored people walked by with a scanner in her hand when she looked at Adam and Jenna, blinked, looked at the screen and walked away. Jenna watched her run to the others while Jamie gently nudged Jenna and they went around the corner.

Theta calmed down while they walked by some of the exhibits in the children's museum and Cam and Zoe were engrossed in some of the activities the museum offered. David and Donald were challenging Frankie and Marion to one of the games while Theta, Cameron and Jamie watched them and Adam and Jenna sat on the bench, sipping on the sweet juice from the juice stand.

"Are you bored?" Adam asked then sipped on the juice and burped.

"You are gross," Jenna said and he burped louder.

"I'm such a child!" he said with a grin and she laughed.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Sure," he said, taking another sip of the juice.

"I think we should get out of here," she said with a sigh and he slid his arm around her shoulder, causing her to lean her head on his arms.

"Pfft, don't let it get to you. No one knows that you and I are a part of the test tube set," he said with a grin and she gently shoved him. "Oi, I'm being serious, we are test tube babies."

"You are a nutter," she said and he nodded. He looked around when he saw two of the people in black armor and they were talking to one of the juice sellers. Tensing up, he looked at Theta when he set up a privacy block and his eyes went black.

"_Brother, can you look after David for me?" _he thought and Theta looked at him.

"_What's wrong?" _Theta thought.

"_Two of those armored guys are here. I'm going to take Jenna and see if they follow us."_

"_And if they do?"_

"_Then we'll run like hell."_

"_Doesn't matter now, they're leaving," _Theta thought as they watched the black armored people leaving and Adam sighed, nodding at him.

"I'm done," Jenna said as she wiggled the juice box in Adam's face and he gently swatted her hand away. Standing up, they headed over to the garbage can near the lift doors when she handed him the juice box and he slid it inside the slot. Before they could move, the lift doors opened as the two black armored people stepped out of the lift and fired their lasers. Adam and Jenna grunted while the black armored people caught them and dragged them into the lift.

"No!" Theta shouted when they felt Adam and Jenna's minds blink out and Frankie ran to him and he looked toward the lift doors.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Two of those people we saw chasing the clone just took Jenna and Adam," he said while Cameron held onto David and Marion held onto Jamie. Growling, Theta stormed toward the lift while the others followed and his eyes were jet black.

Adam softly moaned when he opened his eyes and looked up at the bright lights over his head. He was lying on his back on a metal table when he realized that his wrists and ankles were strapped down and he looked to his left. Jenna was lying on the metal table next to him as he saw her chest rising and falling and felt her mind creeping into his mind.

"_Jenna, are you alright?" _he thought and she wiggled her fingers.

"_Uncle Adam?" _she thought and he sent love into her mind.

"_Can you move?"_

"_No,"_ she thought as she shook her head and he sighed. The door opened when a tall man walked closer and was dressed in a white surgical jumpsuit and boots and a white surgical cap was on his head. The man walked to the table when he looked down at him and Adam glared at him.

"Ah, you are awake, that is good," the man said with a grin and his bright white teeth shimmered in the light.

"Who are you?" Adam asked.

"I am Doctor Connexs. Who are you?"

"I'm not going to tell you. Now, before this gets messy, let us up."

"Why do you clones always fight me?" Doctor Connexs asked with a sigh.

"You think I'm a clone?" Adam asked then laughed. "Oh, Mate, you are so wrong!"

"You were scanned by one of the patrol groups and were identified as one. That is why you and your clone mate were taken."

"She's my niece, you git!" Adam shouted and tried to get his wrists free.

"Of course she is," Doctor Connexs said when he walked to the tray that was sitting near the table and picked up a pair of scissors. Walking back to the table, he pulled the bottom of Adam's Incredible Hulk t-shirt and Adam's eyes went wide.

"Don't you dare!" Adam said when Doctor Connexs looked under the t-shirt and blinked. He folded the t-shirt back when his cold fingers moved along Adam's flat stomach and his finger dipped into Adam's belly button. "Whoa, you got cold fingers!"

"You have a navel!"

"Of course I do!" Adam said, rolling his eyes.

"But clones don't have navels!" he said then saw something at the edge of Adam's jeans and pulled the top of the jeans down, seeing Adam's appendix scar. "What is this?"

"Gee, Mate, my eyes don't pop out. What is what?"

"What is this scar from?" he asked, running his fingers along the scar.

"Oh, that, it's my appendix scar," Adam said with a smile.

"You had your appendix out?"

"Yep, and I nearly died from it. Now, will you put my shirt down? It's bloody cold in here," Adam said while Doctor Connexs lowered the t-shirt and looked at Jenna. "Oi, she's as human as I am. Now let us up!"

"Yes, yes, I am so sorry," Doctor Connexs undid the straps and Adam slowly sat up, rubbing his wrists. Suddenly wheezing and grinding sounds filled the room when Adam smiled and crossed one leg over the other, looking at Doctor Connexs.

"You are in such deep doo-doo!" he said when the doors slammed open and Theta and Jamie came out of the TARDIS. "Well it's about time you got here. I'm getting bored."

"Yeah yeah yeah," Theta said while Jamie ran to the other table and looked at Jenna, who smiled up at him.

"Are you alright?" Jamie asked while he stroked her hair and Jenna smiled up at him.

"Aye," she said softly and he kissed her lips.

"Who are you?" Doctor Connexs asked and Theta walked closer, locking eyes with him.

"I'm the Doctor!" he growled and Doctor Connexs swallowed, his Adam's apple bopping up and down.

"And I'm his little brother," Adam said with a grin and Theta nodded.

"Now I am going to count to two. If my little brother and daughter are not released then you'll have to deal with him!" Theta said as he pointed to Jamie and Jamie growled. Nodding, Doctor Connexs ran to the other table when he released Jenna and Jamie picked her up off the table. Jenna wrapped her arms around Jamie's neck as he carried her to the TARDIS and Adam got off the table, standing next to Theta. "Right, I have alerted the Shadow Proclamation and told them about this little killing field of yours…"

"But I let them go!" Doctor Connexs shouted and Theta brushed some hair from his eyes.

"It's not just because you took my brother and daughter. It's because you are slaughtering living beings. It shouldn't matter if they were born inside a womb, a loom, an egg, a sack, a pouch or a test tube. They have a right to live as much as you or I."

"Would you believe he was stunned when he saw my belly button?" Adam said and Theta arched his eyebrow at him.

"He's never seen one before?"

"Well, I do have a cute belly button. It's got that little trial of hair that goes up to my chest," Adam said as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down. "And he was surprised to see my appendix scar."

"Ah, yes, that is a deep little dent, isn't it?" Theta said and Adam nodded. "Well, what say we go because I think the Judoon are here."

The room was shaking as Doctor Connexs ran out of the room and Adam smiled. Nodding, Theta and Adam walked into the TARDIS as Theta closed the doors behind them and the TARDIS dematerialized.

"And what happened after you left?" the Doctor said while he and Theta sat on the lounges and the children swam in the pool.

"The Architect told me that she's investigating them and would get back to me," Theta said with a shrug then nibbled on the Navajo taco that was on the plate on his lap. "It's funny. I wanted a nice holiday with my family and I end up fighting clone killers."

"Yeah, I hear you. I can never have just a plain old holiday without one of my family getting into some sort of trouble."

"At least I stopped being predictable," Theta said when Alan and Adam walked to the lounges and had plastic buckets in their hands.

"Hello," Alan said as they looked at him then at Adam and the Doctor frowned.

"And what are you going to do with those?" he asked and Alan grinned.

"This!" Alan and Adam shouted as they dumped the water on Theta and the Doctor and they looked at each other. Rain, Rose, Marion and Frankie jumped when they heard a loud scream and Adam and Alan ran passed them, going into the house.

"Close the door!" Adam shouted then yelped, closed the door and ran away.

"Drat, they got away," the Doctor said as Theta nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Taco?" Rain asked as they took one off the plate and Theta smiled, placing the taco in his mouth.


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter Ninety

The Doctor led the little group back to the TARDIS. While they walked, the children save Namid walked around Frobisher, fascinated with him. While they walked, the Doctor explained briefly who everyone was. By the time he was done with his explanation they had reached the TARDIS and he reached in his pocket for the key.

"I'm surprised, Doctor, " Frobisher said as he unlocked the door.

"Oh? How so?" the Doctor said, looking at him.

"Never thought you'd get married or have children. You always seemed like such a loner."

"Well, a lot changed in three lifetimes," the Doctor said as he opened the door. "Here ya go, have a look."

He stepped aside and let Frobisher go in. Frobisher stopped in his tracks and his beak dropped open.

"You changed it," he said as everyone came inside. "It's not all white anymore."

"Nah, I grew tired of that," the Doctor said to him. "I finally changed it near the end of my seventh life. All that stark white interior was starting to make my eyes hurt."

"I like it this way," Frobisher said, waddling up the ramp. "Much more natural looking."

"Like your pub?" Alan said.

Frobisher chuckled.

"I got that from traveling with the Doctor and visiting London. You notice how much custom I had? Everyone likes my pub because it isn't boring and depressing and doesn't resemble a laboratory. But much of the city is that way, clean and sterile; it's a safe place to live but incredibly dull."

Frobisher waddled up to the console and stared at it while everyone came up behind him.

"I'm so glad you came back," Frobisher said as he stared at the glass paperweight. "Worried about you. You never came back to say hello and I was afraid something might have happened to you."

"Funny, Sarah Jane said as much when I saw her again," the Doctor said, coming up and sitting on the rim of the console so he could see his face.

"Well, I thought we were mates and I do worry about my friends if they don't keep in touch with me. I don't know who this Sarah Jane is but I'm sure she felt the same way," Frobisher said. "Speaking of, have you spoken to Peri lately?"

"No," the Doctor said, shaking his head. "Last I heard she was married to King Yrcanos and went to live with him."

"So, you just drop people off and never see them again?" Frobisher said, frowning.

The Doctor sighed and glanced at Alan and Doc.

"Frobisher, I've traveled with hundreds of people, if I kept in touch with all of them I'd never have any time for travel. A lot of those people left by choice and I figured it would be better to let them live their lives instead of popping in and out every so often. I'm sorry I didn't come back and say hello but I figured you were getting on with your life and I didn't want to interfere."

"I understand. But I gather that if your children hadn't said anything you wouldn't have bothered coming back," Frobisher replied.

He held up his flippers when he saw the Doctor was becoming upset.

"But you're here now and I'm glad you are," he said. "So I won't say anything more. I'm just glad you're alright."

"Thank you. I'm glad you are as well," the Doctor said gratefully.

Frobisher looked at Chaska who was standing beside him.

"You have a very handsome son," Frobisher said, changing the subject.

"Thank you," the Doctor said, ruffling his son's hair.

"Are you always disguised as a penguin?" Chaska asked.

"Most of the time. I enjoy being in this form. Penguins are beautiful creatures."

"It's just that you're kinda short," Chaska said, looking down at him.

"Well, in my true form I'm not much taller than you are, my boy," Frobisher said.

The Doctor ushered them back to the kitchen where he made them some tea while they talked. While Frobisher talked, he kept noticing that when he was speaking, Namid seemed to be looking straight past him. He sensed that perhaps he should ask why discreetly and when the Doctor got up to fetch the tea, he waddled over and tapped him on the leg with his flipper. The Doctor bent down to him and he whispered in his ear.

"Sorry, old friend, don't want to be rude," he whispered, "but your daughter, the one with darker skin. Is there something the matter with her, she seems to be looking past me when she looks my way."

"She's blind," the Doctor said.

Frobisher nodded.

"I thought so but I didn't want to ask and embarrass her," he whispered back.

The Doctor chuckled.

"Don't worry about it. She's more than capable of taking care of herself even without her sight. But I appreciate you asking me in private since she gets mad if people condescend to her. She just wants to be a normal girl."

Frobisher nodded. He offered his assistance and took the tea tray after the Doctor loaded it up with tea, sugar and milk. He carried it back to the table. The Doctor followed him and they sat together and chatted for awhile.

After several hours, Frobisher announced that he was tired and had to be getting back. The Doctor and everyone else walked with him back to his pub, enjoying the warm night air and the twin moons that hung in the sky overhead. When they reached the pub, they went inside and Frobisher turned and took the Doctor's hand in his flippers.

"Please, come back and see me, old friend. I know it might be a bother sometimes looking up old friends but I do miss you and would like to keep in touch."

"I will," the Doctor said. "Perhaps you can come visit us on New Gallifrey sometime."

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a pad of paper and pen. He jotted down his post office box number and asked Frobisher to write when he could. While they were talking, Namid edged towards the door and stepped out onto the pavement, smelling the night air and listening to the sounds of people and traffic while she stayed near the doorway. While she stood there, she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and she gasped in shock and surprise.

"No, easy," a voice said gently. "I won't hurt you. I just want to say hello."

"Who are you?" Namid said nervously.

She felt the person's hand on her head.

"If I told you, will you keep it a secret?" he said.

Namid thought about that. The man had a pleasant voice and she sensed that he wouldn't hurt her. She nodded and the man put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm your father," he said.

Namid frowned.

"Daddy, it doesn't sound like you. Are you using a funny voice?" she said.

"Funny?" the man teased, "I don't have a funny voice, young lady. But no, I'm not disguising my voice. I'm the eleventh version of your daddy, the one that's coming after the man you know now."

"You're gonna die?" Namid said alarmed.

"Not for awhile yet. I've come from years and years in the future and it's been ages since I've seen you as a little girl. My Namid is a confident young Time Lady."

"Me?" Namid said happily.

"Yes, you," the Doctor said, rubbing her back. "She's an adult and so are your brother and sister and cousins."

"Why are you here, Daddy?" Namid said.

"I have business that needs to be sorted out but I remembered coming here today to see Frobisher and I thought I'd pass by and look in and lo and behold, here you are, outdoors so I'd thought I'd say hello and I love you."

Namid let out a frustrated sigh, wishing she could see him. She reached up and felt a tweed jacket.

"Daddy, could you show me what you look like?" she asked.

"Um…I better not, Mi-mi. I want it to be a surprise but even though I change, I'll still love you and everyone else in our family."

There was a pause and Namid heard his father, Alan or Doc coming closer to the door, laughing as he neared the doorway. Namid felt her future father kneel, gather her close and give her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Love you, Rainbow, be good and I'll see you someday," he whispered to her.

Then just like that, he was gone. Namid sensed him running away, seconds before Alan poked his head through the doorway.

"There you are, you naughty thing, can't stand to be in here with us?" Alan teased.

"Yeah, cause you smell," Namid said after deciding not to tell what happened to her, at least not for the moment.

"Yeah, well you're a smelly, delly poo poo," Alan said.

Namid laughed as he tickled her armpits. She took his hand and he gave her a kiss on the cheek as he led her back inside.


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter Ninety One

"DAD!" River shouted as she stormed into the den and Adam removed the headphones, looking at his semi-ticked off daughter.

"Yes, Oh Angry One?" he asked as he turned the swivel chair around and half closed his eyelids.

"I never thought I had to do this again but will you tell my little brother to leave them alone!"

"Now, are we talking James or David?" he asked as he stood up and walked to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm talking about David."

"And what has my eight year old son done this time?" he asked with a grin.

"I found THESE in the family room!" she said as she held up two small figures around twelve inches in height and they smiled, waving at them. One of the figures looked like Theta and the other looked like his fifth life and that one arched the floppy cricket hat at him.

"How did they get here?" he asked when he took the chibi that looked like Theta and the chibi folded its tiny arms on his finger, placing its chin on its arms. The chibis were intelligent human dolls that were created by a family friend, named Chabi, who had found a way to create life in the dolls. As for payment for setting him free from his evil master, who wanted the dolls as assassins, Chabi made the chibis for River in the forms of her family, Theta's lives and their friends. Marion had also asked him to make River chibis of the Doctor and his family and the chibi population had grown over the years.

"I brought them with me when we went to see her last week," David said, standing in the doorway and Adam looked at him, nodding his head.

"I told you not to do that!" River shouted and Adam looked at her.

"Don't yell at your brother like that," Adam said and the chibi of Theta wiggled a finger at her.

"But, Dad, he took them without asking."

"I got that. Look, River, these little guys are tough and…" he said while the chibi of Theta flexed its biceps and Adam softly laughed. "Uh, yeah, well, they have been played with before and are still in one piece."

"Yeah, James used to play with them when he was my age. Why can't I?" David asked and River glared at him.

"Do you want me to remind you what happened to your Transformers?" River growled and the chibis looked up at her.

"_What is she talking about?" _the chibi of Theta's fifth life asked and the chibi of Theta shrugged.

"Hey, Chris was the one that put them in the microwave!" David said and the chibis gasped.

"_He put them in the microwave?" _the chibi of Theta's fifth life asked with wide eyes.

"When did this happen?" Adam asked with a concerned look on his face.

"It was last week. They fell in the pool and he said we could dry them out in the microwave," David sighed. "His mommy said it was a good thing they weren't made of metal anymore or it would have blown up."

"That would explain why you were grounded when I came home from helping your uncle with that peace treaty signing," Adam said then looked at the chibi of Theta and sighed.

"But this is different. I would never put them in there," David said, pouting.

"_Thank Rassilon for that!" _the chibi of Theta said.

"Just the same, I don't want you playing with them because we can't replace them if something would happen to them," Adam said and David sighed.

"But nothing ever happens to them. River never lets anyone near them," David said.

"That's not true, or did you forget the time they got kidnapped?" River asked and David shook his head.

"Let me see if I remember," Adam said when he sat down and placed the chibi of Theta on the desk. Sitting back in the chair, Adam closed his eyes then set up a privacy block and an image of a planet appeared inside River and David's mind.

Chabi was a small planet located in the Eden system of the Orion constellation and had a small moon and a single yellow sun. The sky was a crystal blue color and lush forests, mountains and glades dotted the landscape. Two large oceans separated the two large landmasses and there were two ice caps on the northern and southern poles.

On the eastern landmass were a large race of beings called the chabis, which stood over ten feet tall. Covered in thick fur of brown, black, tan, white or gray fur, they were a gentle race but were also very strong and lived in villages in the tall trees. They had bear like features with large black or brown eyes and talked in low growls and grunts.

The chibis lived on the western landmass and it was during an expedition of the planet that River found a crashed spaceship and a skeleton and the skeleton was that of the Doctor's universe's version of her old friend, Chabi. According to the black box they were able to retrieve from the ship, he had crashed on the planet and made the chibis to keep him company. He taught them how to make shelters and feed themselves and supervised their population, aiding them when they needed to reproduce. When he died, the chibis population continued to grow, thanks to him teaching them how to use the machines he used to make them, and they considered him a god. But, along with a god, there was an evil that kept to the shadows. None of the chibis knew where this evil came from but they did have a name for it. The Shadow Hands!

"Wait a second. I think I remember this story. Mommy, Aunt Rain, Aunt Rose, Aunt Rosie, Aunt Frankie and Jenna went on holiday and you, Uncle Doctor, Uncle Theta, Uncle John, Uncle Alan and Uncle Jamie were looking after us. Cousin Campbell was playing with some of them when these guys came, stunned him and stole the chibis," David said and the chibis looked at each other.

"_I remember that," _the chibi of Theta's fifth life said.

"_I still have nightmares about those black hands and being in the dark," _the chibi of Theta said and softly shivered.

The Doctor had promised to take David and his three year old cousins to the toy store when Adam received word from River that something had happened to the chibis and he sent love and comfort into her mind.

"_Alright, Sunshine, tell me again what happened," _Adam thought after River calmed down and sighed.

"_I'm not exactly sure. I was in the office when I heard Campbell screaming and went to see what happened. He had been playing with the chibis that looked like Uncle Theta. When I went into the living room, he was unconscious on the floor and the chibis were gone," _River thought.

"_Is he alright?" _the Doctor thought.

"_Yes, whoever it was used a stunner."_

"_Did he get a look at who did this?" _Theta thought.

"_Yes, he said they were covered in leather clothing and wore black helmets."_

"_Did you contact Gavin?" _Adam thought. Gavin was River's husband and he was off planet at the time of the attack.

"_Yes."_

"_Did you check the house security tapes yet to see how they got into the house?" _John thought.

"_Not yet."_

"_Do you think this might be the ones that have been grabbing the other chibis?" _Alan thought.

"_If they are, why would they want my chibis?" _River thought and they could feel her fear in their minds.

"_Because they're one of a kind, Sunshine," _Adam thought.

"_I knew I should have never brought them here. They were safer on New Gallifrey."_

"_Safe, maybe, but they weren't happy," _the Doctor thought.

"It was hard for them, having to hide all the time to prevent them from getting hurt or taken," River sighed and the chibi of Theta's fifth life patted her hand. "When they came to Chabi, they didn't have to hide anymore and were very happy."

"_Daddy, please, you have to find them!" _River thought.

"_Don't worry, Kiddo, we'll find them," _Adam thought then looked at the others when David walked to him and frowned.

"Daddy, does this mean we're not going to the toy store?" David asked.

"So, we went to Kasterbourous City and headed toward Galaxy," Adam said and River smiled.

"I used to love going to Galaxy," she said.

'They were nothing more than a bunch of crooks," David said and Adam nodded.

Galaxy was the largest toy store in Kasterbourous City with six floors and a wide variety of toys, games, puzzles and video games and players. The bikes, scooters, hover board, skate boards, hover skates, roller skates, riding toys and electronic vehicles were on the top floor and there was an area where the children could test out whatever they wanted before buying it.

The video game section was on the next floor and all the games and systems were shown on video screen until someone purchased something then the game or system was brought up from the back by security hover robots. Gaming cards and card decks and children cds and dvds were also located in the video game section and were also kept in the back until purchased.

The boys section was on the next floor with a large selection of sports items and equipment. The girls section was on the next floor and had a care center for all sorts of dolls and a "day care center" where a little "mommy" could leave their "baby" or "babies" while they shopped and were given beepers which were returned after they were done shopping. There had been a few "babies' that had been forgotten but the beepers had the home phone number of the "mommy", who was called within minutes so they could come get the "baby". The toddlers and infant toys were on the next floor and the first floor was where the stuffed animals, games and puzzles and educational toys were.

"We went inside when they made this big announcement that they had just received a new shipment of action figures and we headed off to see what all the fuss was about," Adam said then stopped the chibi of Theta from deleting the story he was writing and placed the chibi on his lap.

A large crowd was standing around the small stage as a young man with a round face and brown hair and eyes stood near a table and the Doctor led the others to the front of the crowd. On the table was a covered box and the young man smiled, placing his hand on the cover.

"Hear ye, hear ye, I am proud to present the latest thing in action figures!" the young man said as he removed the cover and the chibis blinked, looking around.

"Daddy, that's…!" David said as Adam nodded and David, Cameron, Donald, Chaska and Christopher ran to the table while the young man looked at them.

"Hold on, Little Mates, I don't think…Hey! Get off of there!" David, Cameron, Donald, Chaska and Christopher climbed onto the table as they looked at the box when Cameron found the latch and the boys opened the box, reaching inside the box. "Put those down!"

"Catch!" Donald shouted as he tossed the chibis of Theta's second and seventh life at Jamie and they went flying through the air.

"_Whee!" _shouted the chibis of Theta's second and seventh life and Jamie caught them.

"Daddy!" Christopher shouted as he picked up then tossed the chibis of Theta's ninth and eighth life at Alan and the chibis laughed. Alan caught them as he smiled down at them and the chibi of Theta's ninth life gave him a big grin.

"Here, Daddy, catch!" Chaska shouted as he tossed the chibis of Theta's sixth and fourth life and the chibi of Theta's sixth life waved its arms and legs in the air.

"_Shada!"_ the chibi of Theta's fourth life shouted as the Doctor caught them and looked at the chibi of Theta's fourth life.

"You know, not everyone is going to know what that means," the Doctor teased as the chibi of Theta's fourth life gave him a toothy smile and arched the hat back on its head.Came had gotten off the table as he ran to Theta and handed him the chibis of his first and third life and blinked.

"Why didn't you throw them?" Theta asked.

"Because they're too old," Cam said and the chibis looked at him.

"_Too old?" _the chibi of Theta's third life grumbled and crossed its arms over its chest.

"_Calm down, dear fellow, I do believe the boy is teasing, hm," _the chibi of Theta's first life said and smiled at Cam.

"Daddy!" David said as he tossed the chibis of Theta and Theta's fifth life at Adam and the chibi of Theta's fifth life held onto its hat.

"_Woo-hoo!" _the chibi of Theta said as Theta caught them and they laughed.

"_That was fun!" _the chibi of Theta's fifth life said and the boys got off the table. The other shoppers looked at them as the Doctor smiled and placed the chibis in his pocket, the others did the same.

"Run!" the Doctor shouted as he picked up Namid and they headed for the stairs. The security alarms rang out as the Doctor opened the fire exit door and they ran down the stairs. The door burst open as they ran by the other shoppers and headed for the door only to stop after seeing the security robots and guards standing by the front door. Sighing, they placed their hands up and the chibis ducked down, hiding inside their pockets.

"We were taken to the owner's office and Cam broke into the owner's files then sent them to the Architect," Adam said with a smile and David nodded.

"Then you and River took them back to Chabi. I still don't see what that has to do with me playing with them. I'm not going to sell them," David said, scratching the back of his neck.

"He does have a point," Adam said and River glared at him. Adam jumped when the chibi of Theta poked him in the chest and looked up at him. It pointed to itself then at the chibi at the chibi of Theta's fifth life then at David and nodded. "And I think they want to play with him."

"You do?" River asked and the chibis nodded. River paced back and forth while thinking then handed the chibis to David and he smiled.

"Thanks," David said when he ran out of the room and Rain walked to Adam, sitting on his lap.

"Why do I have a feeling this is a bad idea?" she asked as he wrapped his arms around her and she placed her head on his shoulder.

"Now now, Sunshine, what did I tell you about sharing your toys with your little brother?" he asked and she laughed.

"That I had to," she said and he nodded. Suddenly they heard a loud crash as she got off his lap and he stood up.

"They're ok!" David's voice said as Adam saved the story, turned the computer off then took River's hand and they both ran out of the room, heading down the hallway.


	92. Chapter 92

Chapter Ninety Two

After they left, the Doctor left the TARDIS in the vortex for awhile so they could rest. He and Rain went to their bedroom so they could lie down for awhile and recover from the events of the day. While they lay in their bed, the Doctor let his thoughts drift for awhile. Rain studied him for awhile and then putting her hand to his cheek, she turned his face towards hers.

"What's wrong, Thete?" she said.

"Nothing. Just thinking back to before I met you," he said. "I did tell you about my time with Joan, yeah?"

"When you were human?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, you told me about that a long time ago."

"Did I tell you about the part where the fob watch showed me my future if I had chosen to stay human?"

"Yeah, I believe so."

"Did I ever show it to you?" the Doctor said.

"I don't think so, why?"

"Let me show you my memory of what I saw."

Rain nodded. She shifted to her side and the Doctor did the same, facing her. He put his fingertips to her temples and closed his eyes as he projected the memory into her mind. Rain smiled when she saw him marrying Joan, having her children, being a father and finally dying an old man. When he was finished he took his fingers away.

"I was just thinking that everything I saw that day has come true except for growing old and dying."

"Have to say I'm glad you don't age. Old age doesn't flatter ya," she teased.

"Yeah, I agree. I just think it's ironic that everything I could have had if I'd chosen to stay a human was given to me anyway. Life is funny sometimes. I just hope everything turned out for the best and she's happy now."

"Are you saying we should go visit her next?"

She giggled as the Doctor eyed her and patted his chest.

"No, unlike Frobisher, we didn't part on good terms. She told me she never wanted to see me again and I'm not about to show up on her doorstep and risk a beating. I'll just assume she had a good life."

"Were you in love with her?" Rain asked.

"Why do you ask? Jealous?" the Doctor teased.

"No, I know where your hearts lie, I'm just curious," Rain said.

"At the time I did love her but looking back on it, I have a feeling it would have been disastrous if we continued our relationship after I became myself."

"How so?"

"Well, because when I had the mentality of John Smith, I didn't realize how narrow minded Joan was because I shared the same worldview. But up until the end of our relationship she treated Martha badly and I have a feeling that she wouldn't have done well traveling with me and meeting alien species. I have a feeling I would have spent the bulk of my time explaining her behavior and saving her from fights. Maybe she would have become more open-minded with time but in the meantime she probably would have been snooty and possibly insulted everyone that wasn't like her. Not to mention I think that what really happened was I was still mourning Rose and I saw her in Joan and that's what I fell in love with. No, I think it was better that she did reject me and possibly found someone that was better suited for her."

"Well, I think the fact that she rejected you so quickly after changing back says it all, Thete. And I think you're right. Just the fact that you were an alien and not like her was what freaked her out and caused her to reject you. She was better off being with someone who was like her in her worldview."

"Well I'm just glad I changed back. I shudder when I think of how I acted when I was John Smith, towards Martha and Tim. I actually gave my consent for another boy to punish Tim because he was distracted during machine gun practice. Not to mention I actually stood by and watched children firing off machine guns and didn't bat an eyelid at it. What was I thinking?"

"Like you said, John Smith was the product of his times."

"I know and I'm glad I made the choice to become me again."

They looked over at the bedroom door when they heard raucous laughter coming from somewhere inside the TARDIS.

"Oh blimey, what is the rest of the family up to?" the Doctor said.

At that moment, the others were in the living room laughing hysterically. They were having some fun singing karaoke and Alan was doing his rendition of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance, hamming it up to the delight of the others. Namid wasn't paying much attention though. She was still thinking about what happened to her outside the pub. Finally, she decided to go and seek some advice. She took her cane and walked out of the room. Once outside, she looked up at the ceiling.

"TARDIS, you know that room where Daddy's other heads are. Can you do your moving rooms thing so I can go there?"

The TARDIS grunted and moved the door leading to the room with the heads directly in front of her, then she telepathically told Namid to go forward while she opened the door for her. She guided Namid past the stone stairs to the seal of Rassilon, the moment she stepped on it, the heads came to life and looked around.

"Oh look," Eight said, "it's Namid."

"Hi!" Namid said, waving.

The heads gave her a cheerful hello.

"So," Four said. "What brings you here, little one?"

"Um…I wanted to talk to someone and I didn't know if I should tell my daddy so I thought I'd tell you."

"Yes?" Five said.

Namid explained what happened to her outside the pub. The heads glanced at each other.

"I'm afraid we don't know what we look like in our eleventh life if that's the reason you're in here," Five said. "We have no knowledge of what our incarnations look like past your current father."

"I know but…I just wondered why he was there. He didn't say why but he was just there all of a sudden."

"Yes," Three said, "it does seem strange that he just happened to be there on that particular day. I don't know this Frobisher chap but I would think your father would remember going there with all of you. Therefore, our future self would know enough to avoid that place and time…unless it was deliberate."

"Are you saying that he sought out Namid on purpose?" Two asked. "For what purpose?"

"How should I know?" Three said testily. "I'm just speculating! I'm merely saying it might not have been an accidental encounter."

"Our future self did say he was heading that way to peek inside the pub," Seven said. "You say that Alan found you outside, Namid?"

"Mm-hmm," Namid said, nodding.

"Then our tenth self probably knew she was out there so our future self would have known she would be there when he came to the pub at that particular time," Seven said.

"Perhaps he just wanted to make sure she was safe," Eight said. "We can't go attributing a sinister motive to his little visit."

"Then why tell her not to tell anyone?" Nine said. "Why would it matter if our current self knew he had visited her, wasn't like he was trying to kidnap her."

The heads fell silent while they pondered that.

"Do you think I should tell Daddy?" Namid said when no one said anything.

"That's up to you, sweetie," Eight said. "I don't see the harm in it. He's gone now and he didn't reveal anything to you about the future, he just said hello. For the life of me, I don't see why he should be so secretive about that."

Namid telepathically called to her father and told her where she was and that she wanted to talk to him. While she waited, the heads made small talk with her, asking how she was and what she'd been up to. After ten minutes, Ten strolled in.

"Yup, this is going to become your new hang out place, I can just tell," Ten teased as he came up beside her. "What did you need?"

The heads listened while Namid told him what happened. Ten frowned and shook his head when she finished her story.

"Odd that he told you not to tell anyone he'd said hello," Ten said.

"That's our feelings as well," Five said. "He didn't reveal anything of importance to her and she couldn't see him, so I don't understand why he should be so secretive."

"Perhaps he was on his way to stop something and thought Mi-mi might tell us and get us involved," Ten said, ruffling her hair. "At any rate, it's over now, he can't know that you told us and without knowing the reason why he was there, there's no use in worrying about it. Things like that usually have a way of revealing themselves eventually anyway."

"Well, thank you for listening to me, all of you," Namid said.

Ten smiled when the heads told her you're welcome and that they hoped she had a great evening.

"Now go and spend some time with your current father," Five said. "You don't wanna stay in here all night listening to a bunch of arguing heads."

"Exactly, we're tired anyway," One said. "We'd like to go back to sleep if it's all the same to you."

"Come on, Mi-mi, let's have some ice cream. I need to tell you what your Uncle Alan and I have in mind for your martial arts training," the Doctor said, putting his hand on her back.

"Martial arts training? Capital idea!" Three said. "All of them?"

"Yes," Ten said. "We're training all the young ones in Venusian aikido."

The heads murmured their approval at that and smiled when Namid waved at them and told them goodnight. They bid her goodnight and when she and her father stepped off the seal, their eyes closed and they went back to sleep. The Doctor took her hand as he closed the door and led her to the kitchen so they could have some ice cream.

Later on, after they ate and chatted and Namid went into the bedroom so she could talk to her mother for awhile, the Doctor headed towards the laboratory. On the way there, he told the TARDIS about the weapons with the sonar devices in them and asked if she could make something for Namid.

_Of course I will do that, my beloved,_ she thought to him. _But I also wish to tell you something._

_Yes?_ The Doctor thought to her as he felt a privacy block going up around his mind.

_You wish to know why your future self visited Namid?_

_Yes, _the Doctor thought.

_I will tell you because I know you will not play favorites with the children but Namid has a great destiny in store for her, greater than you can ever imagine,_ the TARDIS thought to him. _You cannot know it yet but your future self does and I believe he came back to check on her and make sure she was safe, because eventually she will have a great part to play in the safety of the universe. Of course Sokanon and Chaska also will protect the universe along with the other children but Namid will become one of the most unique people in the entire universe and because of that, I and others are concerned about her safety and wish to keep her shielded from harm._

_Great destiny? Like the DoctorDonna? _The Doctor thought.

_Something like that, _the TARDIS thought back._ Like Donna, she will become a being the universe has never seen before but she will go beyond even the Time Lords. _

The Doctor was intrigued but he knew just from the way his ship was being vague that she would never tell him exactly what this great destiny was. Pride and relief flooded his hearts and mind knowing that Namid would be able to become a great Time Lady just like he imagined she would. He decided for the moment to keep this revelation for himself until he saw how it was going to play out. But as he headed to the laboratory, he was excited and couldn't wait to see what Namid's destiny would ultimately be.


	93. Chapter 93

Chapter Ninety Three

"I love the nightlife; I got to boogie, on the disco ro-HOUUUUUUUUUUUND, oh yeah!"

Christopher giggled at his father while he fixed their breakfast. He was singing I Love the Nightlife and wiggling his butt while he was frying eggs. Occasionally, he used the spatula as a microphone and sang into it while Christopher laughed harder. Occasionally, Rose peeked in, rolled her eyes and grinned at her husband's antics. He finished with the eggs and put them and some bacon on a plate for Christopher. Then he poured some milk for him and sat the glass and plate down on the table beside a fork and knife as Christopher sat down.

"Aren't you going to eat, Daddy?" Christopher asked Alan.

"In a minimanutza, my son," Alan replied. "Ooooh, I got a full colon, I got to poopy, on the household bo-HOOOOOOOOG, oooo yeah!"

Christopher giggled as Alan danced his way out of the kitchen while he continued to sing. Alan danced into the bathroom as he hummed to himself. He shut the door and used the toilet. After he was done, he walked over to the sink and opened a drawer underneath it. Hidden under one of Rose's Cosmos was a little yellow wooden ruler. He kept his trousers and pants down and held his penis in one hand while he put the ruler against it. He whistled cheerfully as he measured himself but the whistling died in his throat when he saw the results. His mouth dropped open and he held his penis firmly against the ruler but he got the same result as before. Unable to believe his eyes, he pulled up his underwear and trousers, put the ruler back under the Cosmo, washed his hands after closing the drawer and then opened the door.

He casually strolled into the kitchen where Rose was seated with Christopher, eating breakfast with him.

"Um, I'll be back. I need to go see the Doctor for a minute, I need to ask him something," he said to them.

"Alan, it's early. They're probably eating breakfast right now like we are. Can't it wait?" Rose said.

"Um…no, it can't. I need to ask him something."

"So…use your telepathy and ask him," Rose said.

"No, this has to be done in person. Gotta show him something. I promise I'll be there and back before the eggs get cold," Alan said.

Rose sighed and nodded. Alan ran over to her, kissed her cheek and kissed Christopher's head.

"It's an emergency, Starlight, honestly," he said to her.

Rose nodded. She and Christopher watched as he ran out of the kitchen. A moment later, the front door slammed and Rose looked at her son.

"With your daddy, everything's an emergency," she said as Christopher giggled.

(Meanwhile…)

The Doctor stood with his children inside a dojo inside the TARDIS. After he began training them, the TARDIS designed it so they'd have a safe place to practice. It had been three months since they went to the funfair and already he had taught them a few basic moves. The TARDIS had helped him train Namid so she could keep up with them including having her listen to different tones that would get fainter and fainter so her hearing could be sharpened. Namid was leaning against the wall with Chaska, resting while the Doctor showed Sokanon a new move. They were practicing with staffs and the Doctor was showing Sokanon a new blocking maneuver. He demonstrated it for her while he projected what he was doing into Namid's mind. Then he allowed her to practice what he showed her, attacking her so she could block him.

Meanwhile, Rain was in the living room, reading a magazine and relaxing. The Doctor had promised to take them somewhere later on after he had finished with their morning martial arts session and he had a shower so she was taking it easy and loving the peace of the morning.

The peace was broken when he heard a frantic knock on the door. She put the magazine down on the coffee table and walked towards the door.

"Okay, don't bash the door in," Rain yelled as the knocking continued.

She opened the door and saw Alan standing there; he was out of breath and panting hard.

"Is Brother here?" he gasped out.

"Well, yes, but he's training the children at the moment. Why? What's wrong?"

She raised her eyebrow when Alan stared at her quietly.

"Alan? What's wrong?" she said.

"Um…it's a male thing," Alan said hesitantly. "I really need to talk to Brother about it."

"Well, it might be awhile because "Brother" is training the children in the TARDIS. Why don't you come in and wait while…"

_Brother, can I talk to you for a moment, it's an emergency,_ Alan thought to the Doctor, completely ignoring the dirty look his sister was giving him.

_Yeah, hang on; let me finish up with Sokanon,_ the Doctor thought back. _Are you at home? _

_Um, I'm at your home. Rain is angry with me at the moment for interrupting your training session but I really, really, really have to speak with you. _

_Be there in a minute_, the Doctor thought back.

"Won't you come in?" Rain said dryly.

"Look, I'm sorry, but it is an emergency, honestly," Alan said to her.

Rain sighed and let him come inside. Alan went and sat down on the sofa while Rain asked him if he wanted something to drink. He shook his head and stared straight ahead while Rain sat down beside him. She frowned when she noticed how fidgety he was while he waited.

"What's wrong, Bro," Rain said. "Are Rose and Chris okay?"

"Oh yeah, they're fine. It has to do with me," Alan said.

"And…what is it?"

"Men stuff," Alan said, shrugging.

Rain sighed, picked up her magazine and went back to reading it, ignoring Alan as he stared at the garage door, willing his brother to come back inside the house. Finally, after ten minutes, the door opened and Alan leapt to his feet. Rain put the magazine down in her lap as he ran to him.

"Alan, what's the matter?" the Doctor said.

"I need to run a comparison between us!" Alan said, grabbing his arms.

Rain stared at him as the Doctor gazed at him with a shocked face.

"Comparison…of what?" the Doctor said.

Alan looked at Rain who sighed angrily.

"Out with it, Alan. Whatever it is, I'm sure I won't be shocked," she said to him.

He looked back at the Doctor who was patiently waiting for him to explain. He swallowed hard.

"Um…I need to compare…penises."

"What?" the Doctor and Rain said at the same time.

"Why?" the Doctor added as Rain stared at Alan in shock.

"Um…I've been measuring myself for several years now and this morning, I think I…shrank."

Rain groaned. Her head lowered to her hands as the Doctor stared at Alan as if a tree had grown out of the top of his head.

"Shrank?" the Doctor said, not sure he heard him right.

"Yes, I've always been around the same size and actually I've gotten bigger on occasion but this morning, my measurement came up short and I'm afraid I'm shrinking and I need to compare your penis with mine."

"Alan!" Rain said. "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life! You came running all the way over here for that?"

"But I need to know, Rain," Alan said desperately. "I have to measure us. I have to be the biggest out of all of us, me, him, Doc, Adam, John, Theta, I wanna have the biggest nob among my brothers."

Rain's head fell back to her hands as Alan turned his head and ignored her.

"Please, humor me and measure yourself!" he implored.

The Doctor stared at him for a moment, then a smile slowly spread over his face and he shook with silent laughter.

"It's not funny, damn it, I need to know! I need to be the biggest womb broom in the room!" he said to him.

The Doctor snickered as Rain rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'll go get my…ruler," he said, managing to hold back his laughter.

"I can't believe you convinced him to do this, Alan," Rain said behind him as the Doctor went back to the TARDIS for a ruler.

After the Doctor retrieved the ruler, Rain sat on the sofa and read her magazine. But she was finding it hard to do since she kept giggling every time she pictured her husband and Alan measuring themselves with a ruler. By this time, the children had grown bored and came back out into the living room. Rain lowered her magazine and patted the sofa cushion. They sat down beside her and she turned on the holotelevision, finding a cartoon for them to watch. They were all watching it when Alan came back out of the bathroom, a relieved look on his face as the Doctor followed behind him.

"Okay, I'll be going now, emergency is over," Alan said. "Hello, my kiddy dinkies, have a fantastic day."

"What emergency?" Chaska asked.

"Nothing, son, just a little experiment is what he means," the Doctor said.

"Yes, an experiment," Alan said nodding. "Brother, thank you for putting my mind at ease. I'll now go back home and eat breakfast. Rain, have a great day, don't get into trouble. See ya later, alligators!"

Rain watched as he walked to the door, whistling happily and then she looked at her husband as she put a privacy block around his mind.

_So, he's the biggest then?_ She thought to him.

The Doctor grinned and winked.

_No, but I lied about my measurement just to put his mind at ease. Everyone knows that nothing can compare to the real deal. Anyway, he's satisfied and the world can go on turning._

_Well, thank God for that. I would hate to think of all the devastation he'd create if he realized he came up short in the biggest penis department. I don't think I'd enjoy having to tazer or tranquilize the sorry bastard after he knocked down half the city in a fit of despair. _

The Doctor chuckled and leaned over to give her a kiss.

"I'll take a shower and get cleaned up while I think of somewhere for us to go," he said to her before he turned and headed back to the bathroom.


	94. Chapter 94

Chapter Ninety Four

"Whee!" two year old Rory McCeizin shouted while riding on Myfanwy's back and Jack looked up, watching Myfanwy float side to side as she glided through the rafters.

Rory was the son of Nigel McCeizin, Torchwood's resident hacker, and Nigel was Jack's son. Nigel's mother, Maggie, was a friend that Jack was close to when he worked for the Scotland branch of Torchwood and he had introduced her to Nigel's father, Ryan McCeizin. He was also Nigel's godfather and was surprised to learn that Nigel was, in fact, his son. He and Maggie has a one night stand after killing some aliens and a DNA test confirmed that Nigel was Jack's son but he wasn't immortal.

There was some tension from Ianto about Jack having a child with someone other than him and it took a while before Ianto could accept Nigel being in Jack's life. They were still talking about adopting a child of their own at some point and Jack smiled, leaning against the edge of the desk.

"Jack Harkness, you tell that…that flying lizard to come down here right now!" Maggie said as Jack smiled then took the chocolate bar out of his pocket and waved it in the air. Sniffing, Myfanwy flew down to them when she folded her wings against her body and Jack fed her the chocolate bar while Maggie removed a squirming Rory off Myfanwy's back.

"No, I want to fly!" Rory screamed as he kicked the air then pouted when he saw Myfanwy flew up to her nest. "Bloody hell."

"Rory Andrew Patrick McCeizin, we do not use that sort of language," Maggie said as Rory looked up at her and scrunched his face.

"Daddy does," he said when Nigel walked into the room and sipped on the coffee Ianto had made for him. He stopped short when he saw the deadly look his mother was giving him and blinked.

"What?" Nigel asked, sitting on the chair in front of the four monitors and she held Rory on her hip.

"I said bloody hell, Daddy," Rory said with pride and Nigel nearly choked on the coffee.

"And we don't say words like that, do we, Daddy?" Jack asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Um, no, we don't say things like that," Nigel said, placing the coffee mug on the desk and Maggie walked to him, tapping her knuckle on the top of his head. "Bloody hell, that…"

"Daddy said a bad word!" Rory said in a sing song tone as he clapped his hands and Jack cupped his mouth, his body shaking from laughing.

"Right, the pair of you, go sit on the time out step for three minutes!" Jack finally said as they looked at him and Nigel blinked.

"Why do I have to have a time out?" Nigel asked.

"Because you were using bad language," Jack said then pointed to the stairs leading to the autopsy room and Nigel sighed, standing up and took Rory from Maggie. He walked to the stairs when he walked down the stairs then sat on the bottom step. Jack leaned over the railing while he watched his son and grandson sitting next to each other when Rory stood up and tried to run up the stairs. Jack blocked his way as he looked up at Jack and Jack folded his arms over his chest. "You just got yourself four minutes."

"No, I want to go watch cartoons!" Rory shouted.

"Five minutes."

"No!"

"Ten minutes," Jack said when Rory went to open his mouth and Jack lowered his eye lids. "Want to try for an hour?"

"No," Rory sighed then walked back down the stairs and Jack watched him sit next to Nigel.

"Uh, Dad, do I have to sit here for ten minutes?" Nigel asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, if you don't mind," Jack asked and Nigel shook his head, sliding his arm around Rory. Jack sighed when he looked at Maggie, who was standing next to him, and she patted his back. "Being a parent sucks."

Nigel and Rory were stunned when Jack came to sit next to them on the step then smiled as he shrugged then picked Rory up, placing him on his lap.

The black SUV roared down the street while Ianto held the wheel tightly in his hands and Gwen swore when SUV nearly went up on two wheels. Jack, Mickey, Stacey, Nigel's wife, Nigel, Charlie and James sat in the back as they bumped into each other and the orange sports car moved in and out of traffic.

Charlie was once a Time Lord called Jake and they were surprised when he regenerated into a Time Lady. Charlie had adjusted to his/her usual regeneration and the hair clip she used to keep her hair back was sticking up on the top of her head.

James was the Doctor's former companion, Jamie McCrimmon, and he joined Torchwood after the Doctor had brought him back from the year seventeen forty-six along with Frazer and his brothers and sister.

"Saints, Man, slow down!" James shouted as he held onto the back of the driver's seat and the SUV roared around the corner, keeping the sports car in front of them. Suddenly the sports car came to a stop near an empty lot and the SUV stopped a few yards away from it. The driver side door opened as a tall alien got out of the car and pulled the laser rifle out of the back seat of the car. His blue skin shimmered from the light from the street lamp and his long tail slashed the night air. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit and black boots and the sleeves had been torn off, showing off the large muscular arms that held the laser rifle.

Nigel had received a message from the council that an unauthorized shuttle had landed just outside the city and, after doing some searching, he found out that the shuttle belonged to a prison cruiser that was just outside their system. The prisoner was wanted on seven planets for murder and had killed several guards before he escaped.

"Right, Yan, I want you to take Nigel and James and go right. Mickey, Stacey and Charlie, you go left. Gwen, you're with me," Jack said as they slowly got out of the SUV and the alien growled at them. Ianto, James and Nigel quickly ran into the shadows while Mickey, Stacey and Charlie ran for the large crates and Jack held his hands up, walking slowly toward the alien with Gwen walking next to him. "Hello, I'm Captain Jack Harkness. Who are you?"

"N'az'ka'rak!" the alien said then took aim with the laser rifle and his eyes became tight slits.

"Ok, not sure if that's your name or you just told me stop. How about putting the rifle down and…" Jack said when the alien fired the laser rifle and Jack flew through the air, crashing to the pavement. The alien pointed the laser rifle at Gwen when something ran passed her and tackled the alien.

"Ianto!" Gwen shouted while Nigel ran to Jack and lifted Jack's limp body into his arms.

"Come on, Dad, wake up! Yan's about to do something really stupid," he said while shaking Jack and looked at Ianto. Ianto was fighting with the alien as he ducked then punched the alien in the face and Mickey, Stacey and Charlie fired their guns. James had run to Gwen as they fired at the alien and the alien growled. Ianto grabbed hold of the alien from behind when the alien roared and pushed a button on his belt.

No one could imagine that the Welshman could scream as loud and as long as he did while the white bolts of electricity sailed through him then he stopped, falling in a heap onto the ground. The alien laughed then turned toward Gwen and James when a bullet sliced through the alien's brain and he took two steps, falling to the ground. They all turned to see Nigel holding onto Jack when he let go of Nigel, walked to Ianto and knelt on the pavement. They all jumped when Jack titled his head back and his scream echoed into the night.

Martha and Grace were in the autopsy room when Jack carried Ianto down the stairs and the rest of the team stood at the railing, looking down at them. Maggie had kept Rory upstairs while Martha and Grace started undressing Ianto after Jack placed him on the metal table and Jack stroked Ianto's hair. He hadn't regenerated, which puzzled Jack, and Martha moved the scanner closer to the table. Grace placed the electrical leads on Ianto's forehead then at the sides of his head and Martha listened to his hearts and breathing.

"Jack, move, you're in the way!" Martha said but Jack stayed stone still next to the table when Nigel walked down the stairs and placed his hand on Jack's back.

"Dad, she's right. You are in the way," Nigel said then backed up when Jack growled at him then sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Jack said when he kissed Ianto's lips and Nigel led him upstairs. Jack looked at the floor when Maggie walked closer, handed Rory to Nigel and Nigel nodded, gently pushing Jack toward Maggie. Jack looked up when he wrapped his arms around her and sank to the floor. Nigel motioned with his head as he and the others walked away and Maggie gently stroked Jack's hair while he softly sobbed against her neck.

Maggie had taken Jack to his office and he was lying on his back on the couch, looking up at the hologram of his wedding picture. Ianto smiled down at him when the door opened and he sat up as Martha walked into the office. He watched as she sat down next to him and gently placed her hand on his knee.

"How is he?" Jack finally asked after his hearts slowed down to a soft rumba.

"He's suffered a neurological shock but he's stable," Martha said and he sighed with relief.

"Is he awake?"

"Uh, no, he isn't. Jack, he's…" Martha said when he held tightly onto her hand and she felt the anger and fear in his mind.

"No, he's not dead!" Jack said then stood up and tossed the cushion across the room.

"Jack, he might as well be dead," she said as she stood up and he looked at her.

"What are you saying?" he asked with anger in his eyes.

"He's in a deep coma, Jack, and there's a good chance that he might not wake up."

"Bullshit!" Jack shouted when he stormed out of the room and headed for the stairs. He half ran down the stairs when he looked at Ianto lying on the table and Grace was looking at the screens.

Ianto had a breathing tube and a feeding tube up his nose and the tube from the IV was taped to his right hand. The sheet and blankets covered him up to his chest and Jack could just see the bag from the catheter hanging near the side of the table. Grace didn't move while Jack came down the stairs then headed for the table and tears rolled down his cheeks. Bending down, he kissed Ianto's lips then moved the stool next to the table and sat down. Taking Ianto's hand in his, he gently stroked Ianto's hair while he sent love into his mind and watched the lights moving on the screen.


	95. Chapter 95

Chapter Ninety Five

Rain sat on the sofa watching a soap opera. Her husband and Jack were away making a parts run on a distant planet and Doc was out with Namor so she was left at home with her ten year old triplets. It'd been a few months since Namid had finally gained her sight and she was still exploring the world around her while her parents were relieved that finally she was able to see the world around her. The children were upstairs listening to music while she relaxed.

About halfway into her program, Namid came downstairs. Rain was so engrossed in her program that she was startled when she came up beside her. Without the tapping of her cane to alert her to her presence, it was surprisingly easy for her daughter to sneak up on her and the Doctor.

"Mummy, can you do me a favor?" Namid asked.

"What's the favor?" Rain asked.

"You know Lady Gaga?"

"Um…I know who she is, I don't know her songs all that well," Rain said.

"I like her and I was wondering if you'd fix my hair so I can have a hair bow like she has in her Poker Face video," Namid said. "I wanna look pretty today."

"You look pretty every day, baby," Rain said. "But I'm not sure what you mean; you want me to put a bow in your hair?"

"No, I want you to make a bow out of my hair like Lady Gaga does."

"Um, I'm sorry, Mi-mi, I'm not sure what you mean."

"Come here. I'll show you."

Rain got up and followed her daughter over to the computer in the study. The Doctor had managed to fix it so it not only had the internet but was able to get websites from Earth and other planets. Rain stood behind her daughter while she got on You Tube and found the Poker Face video. Rain leaned on the chair and watched the video with her daughter. Towards the end, Namid pointed to Lady Gaga when they saw her reclining on a love seat with a nearly naked man that was clad only in white boxers. Part of her blonde hair had been shaped into a huge hair bow which Rain thought was pretty. Namid looked at her mother.

"Can you do that for me, Mummy? I wanna surprise Daddy and Dada when they come back."

"Um…well, I'm not quite sure how to do it but I have a feeling that someone probably has a tutorial on the internet somewhere. Stand up, baby, and let me see if I can find directions on how to do it."

Namid got up and Rain sat down. She went to google and typed in Lady Gaga Hair Bow. She saw links to the Poker Face video and as she scrolled down she saw a link that said, HOW TO DO THE LADY GAGA HAIR BOW. She clicked on it and smiled when she saw directions and photos on how to make the hair bow. She silently read through the directions and studied the photos while Namid watched.

"I think I can do this," Rain said when she finished. "Just let me get my hair brush and comb and some hair spray and we'll see if we can make you look like Lady Gaga."

She smiled when her daughter cheered. Actually, she liked the hair bow and thought about wearing it herself. Her daughters had only recently become fans of Lady Gaga so she hadn't really heard many of the songs or seen any of the videos before. She told her daughter to remain by the computer so she could use the photos as reference and went to the bathroom to fetch what she needed. She returned and used the tutorial, glancing at it while she fixed her daughter's hair.

"Mummy, do you think Daddy could take us to see Lady Gaga sing?" Namid said as she worked.

"Um…he might, you'll have to ask him when he comes back, baby," Rain said.

"I wanna go see her. I think her concert would be cool," Namid said.

"Ask him. I'm sure he'd take you although…"

Rain started giggling and Namid smiled.

"What is it, Mummy?"

"Oh…just picturing your daddy at a Lady Gaga concert," she said as Namid giggled.

She was nearly finished with the bow when she heard a door shut downstairs.

"Home!" the Doctor called out.

Rain heard Sokanon and Chaska run out of their bedroom but she quickly went and shut the door to the study, locking it until she was finished with the bow. While she sat back down, she heard her son and daughter's faint voices as they greeted their father and Jack. Then she heard his faint voice ask where Namid was and Sokanon reply that she didn't know.

"Rain? Namid?" she heard him calling out.

_We're upstairs, dear. I'm doing something with Namid's hair and I'm nearly done. Just wait a moment because Mi-mi wants to surprise you,_ she thought to him.

_Oh, okay, _the Doctor thought back. _Love surprises._

_Daddy, can we go see Lady Gaga in concert?_ Namid thought to him.

There was a pause and Namid glanced at her mother.

"He's not saying anything," Namid said to her.

"Probably thinking or else he's wondering who Lady Gaga is," Rain said teasingly.

_Love,_ the Doctor finally thought to her. _I'm sorry I didn't answer right away. Sokanon wants to do this but Chaska thinks Lady Gaga is naff and he'd rather be burned alive than go see her. So I might take you lot and let Chas go somewhere with Alan and Rose and Chris. I'm asking Alan now if he'll take him so wait a tic and Jack is also amused that I wanna go see Lady Gaga and he's making fun of me right now so if you hear a thud, I just punched him and he hit the wall. _

Rain finished the hair bow and rolled the chair back to study it. She smiled when she saw how pretty it looked and handed Namid a hand mirror. Namid ooed as she looked in the mirror and gave her mother a hug.

"Thank you!" Namid said.

Rain hugged her and sent love into her mind.

"You're very welcome. Now that I know how to do it, I might do my own hair."

"Yes! Put a pretty bow in your hair so we can be the same," Namid said.

"I will but first, let's show your daddy what we did," she said, rubbing her back.

She got up and opened the door. Without telling her husband, the two of them went downstairs. Jack was downstairs sitting on the sofa with Sokanon and Chaska but the Doctor wasn't anywhere in sight. Jack's eyes bulged as Namid coming towards him.

"Look at you!" he said, admiring the hair bow.

"I want one!" Sokanon said. "I want my hair like that!"

"Mummy did it!" Namid said.

"Mummy, do me! Give me a hair bow too, please?" Sokanon begged.

"Hair bow? What hair bow?" the Doctor said from the kitchen.

"Doc, get out here and take a look," Jack yelled.

"Just a tic, I'm bringing the tea out," he said.

A moment later, the Doctor came out into the living room with a tea tray. He froze when he caught sight of Namid and put the tray down on the coffee table while he kept his eyes on her hair bow. Letting go of the tray, he walked over to her side and stared down at the bow.

"It's made out of your hair," he murmured as he gently touched the bow. "This is stone cold brilliant, how did you think of it?"

"It's from a Lady Gaga video, Daddy," Sokanon said.

"She showed me the video because I had no idea what she was talking about," Rain said. "And then I found a tutorial online that shows you how to do it and I copied it for her."

"I want one too, Mummy," Sokanon said.

"Okay, baby, I'm thinking about doing the same for me."

"Oh yes, please, I want all my girls to have this," the Doctor said, pointing to the bow. "And by all my girls, I mean all my girls, gotta get my grown daughters over here to see this. This is just brilliant."

"Can we go see Lady Gaga sing, Daddy?" Sokanon said.

"I think so. Alan is coming over and getting Chaska so they can do something."

"Yeah, cause Lady Gaga is stupid," Chaska said, rolling his eyes. "Uncle Alan will find something better for us to do."

"Can I come?"

The Doctor looked at Jack.

"With who?" he asked.

"You. I like Lady Gaga's songs and I just wanna see you at a Lady Gaga concert."

"For your information, Jack, I've gone to many music concerts in my lifetimes, everything from classical music to rap so I don't know why me going to a Lady Gaga concert would be so amusing."

"Just the thought of you dancing and singing along to Bad Romance is amusing to me," Jack said.

The Doctor looked at Rain and shook his head while she and the children giggled.

"Whatever, Jack, if you wanna come with us, you're welcome to as long as you watch the concert and not me."

"Don't worry; I'll be watching the concert," Jack said, "in addition to sneaking glances at you."

"Well for your information, I don't know her songs very well; you have to talk to Alan if you wanna watch someone singing along to Lady Gaga's songs. I'm doing this for Mi-mi and Soki's benefit."

Jack shrugged and winked at Namid and Sokanon when they giggled. They looked over when they heard someone knocking on the front door.

"That'll be Alan," the Doctor said, walking towards it.


	96. Chapter 96

Chapter Ninety Six

When the Doctor opened the door, Alan was standing there along with Rose and Christopher. Alan slapped his hand on the Doctor's shoulder while he stared at him intently.

"I want your horror, I want your disease, I want your everything as long as it's free," he said as Rose chuckled.

The Doctor looked at Jack.

"See, you wanna watch someone singing her songs, here's the man who should be going," he said, pointing to Alan.

"The only reason I know her songs is Awinita lent me her Ipod after she downloaded her albums. I got hooked on her songs and I shared them with Rose and she likes her as well," he said as they came inside.

"Do you wanna take the girls to see her then?" the Doctor asked him.

"No," Namid said, hurrying over and wrapping her arms around his leg. "Take us, Daddy. You go!"

Alan stared at her hair bow.

"Hey, she's got a hair bow like Gaga had in the Poker Face video," Alan said.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow as Alan shrugged.

"I like her, what can I say. However…because Chas is not a fan, I'll go see her some other time so he doesn't have to suffer."

"Good!" Christopher said. "I don't wanna see her either."

"See, me and Chris get along," Chaska said as he wandered over to him. "We both think she's naff."

"Hmmm, then I shall have to tie you up and lock you in a room with her songs playing full blast 24/7 until you both go insane!" Alan said to them.

They laughed when both of them screamed noooo at the top of their voices. He patted Namid on the shoulder and gave Sokanon a hug when she came up to him.

"Well, I s'pose we can go see a film and go out to eat," Alan said. "So, I'll leave you to your night of Gaga. Have fun without us!"

Rain hugged Chaska and the Doctor ruffled his hair before all of them turned and went back out the door. The adults stood in the open door and waved at them as they turned and walked back to Alan's house. Once they were out of sight, the Doctor closed the door.

"Okay, so I s'pose you wanna get yours and Soki's hair ready," he said to Rain. "And after you're through with that, we'll go."

It took about an hour for Rain to do both her and her daughter's hair. In the meantime, the Doctor, Jack and Namid drank tea and waited. The Doctor sipped his tea and smiled while he watched his daughter looking around and he thanked the heavens that she no longer had to rely on him or anyone else to see her surroundings. While they waited, Jack thought to Ianto and told him where they were going.

_Wanna come with us, Yan?_ He thought to him.

_Nah, that's okay. Not that much of a fan. Everyone here will just order some pizza and watch some films. Have fun,_ Ianto thought back.

Jack shrugged.

"He's like Chas and Chris, not big on Gaga," Jack said to the Doctor. "Course, that doesn't stop Gwen and Mickey from tormenting him while they walk around and loudly sing her songs to his face, but that's just par for the course over at our big house."

"I like her," Namid said.

"Well, you and I can sing along to her songs tonight," Jack said.

"Okay. And Daddy can too."

"No, because Daddy doesn't know the lyrics," the Doctor said. "Once again you're confusing me with Alan."

"I thought you knew the lyrics to every song that's ever been," Jack said as they headed towards the TARDIS.

"No, sadly not, I'm knowledgeable about Earth music but not that knowledgeable," the Doctor said as he opened the garage door.

While they walked towards the TARDIS, he listened while both his daughters sang Bad Romance to him. They continued to sing and follow him while he walked over to the console and Jack shut the door behind them. He was humming along with them while he found somewhere to take them. He chose Wembley Stadium on July 4th, 2009 and set a course while the two girls continued to sing. He paused in his humming when he heard them say, I'm a free bitch, baby.

"Um…I'm suddenly wondering if these are age appropriate songs for you," the Doctor said as the rotor kicked into life.

"Yeah, I thought the same thing when I listened to Poker Face and heard that love is fun only when it's rough," Rain said.

"I like her songs," Namid said.

"Yes but some things are not appropriate for a ten year old and singing about how you're a free bitch is one of them," the Doctor said. "However, I'll allow you to listen to her songs if you promise not to parade around New Gallifrey singing them at the top of your lungs. You can sing the songs around us and at the concert tonight, but that's it, okay?"

Namid and Sokanon nodded.

"Actually, you singing about how you want to be in a bad romance is also a bit disturbing but I trust you know they're just songs so I'll let that slide as long as your mother agrees."

"I do. I also don't want you going around singing these songs to just anyone and actually that includes your grandparents. The last thing I want is for you to be at Jackie and Pete's house singing about how you're a free bitch; they'll be over at our house skinning us alive."

"And the last thing I want is Jackie having an excuse to skin me alive," the Doctor said, making a face.

The TARDIS landed and the Doctor peeked outside the door and noticed they had landed near Wembley. A sizable crowd was already outside waiting to get in so the Doctor led everyone over to the box office so they could purchase tickets. He used his magic wallet and brought tickets for everyone and then they waited to get inside. While they waited, he noticed that others were wearing the hair bows.

"Oi, they're copying my women," the Doctor said, pointing to a group of girls who were dressed up as Lady Gaga with the hair bows on top of their heads.

"Uh, no dear, I think the reason they're copying us is because we're all copying Lady Gaga," Rain said to him as the children giggled.

"Well, you three are the best looking out of the whole lot," the Doctor said.

"I wholeheartedly agree with that," Jack replied, giving all of the women a peck on the cheek.

They finally got inside and headed for the souvenir stand.

"You can each have one item," the Doctor said to his daughters, making more money with his magic wallet. "So choose wisely."

He glanced up after he pulled the money out of the wallet and looked at the memorabilia. Rain was standing beside him and saw him doing a double take when he spied one of the t-shirts.

"I don't believe it," he muttered.

"What? What's wrong?"

He pointed out the t-shirt. It was a grey t-shirt. On the front was a photo of Lady Gaga wearing a long black Morticia type wig with a huge black bird perched on her head.

"It's the Black Guardian! That's where the bugger got to!" he said. "I knew he wasn't dead!"

"Huh?" Rain said as Jack sniggered.

The Doctor briefly explained who the Black Guardian was and projected an image of him into Rain and Jack's minds. Rain's eyebrows raised when she saw in her mind's eye and old man with jet black hair and a bird perched on top of his head.

"Gee, you're right, Lady Gaga is the Black Guardian," she said as Jack snickered.

The Doctor chuckled.

"Gotta get a t-shirt for Brother. Alan will get the joke," he said to them.

"Hey, there's the dirty lyric you don't want us to sing, Daddy," Sokanon said, pointing to another t-shirt.

The Doctor looked where she was pointing and saw a white t-shirt with a nearly naked Lady Gaga on the front of it. Over the image in black lettering was I'm A Free Bitch, Baby.

"And you will not be getting it," the Doctor said.

"I know, just showing it to ya," Sokanon said.

The Doctor glanced back at his wife and rolled his eyes at that. When they finally got up to the front, the Doctor purchased the t-shirt for Alan while Namid brought a poster of Lady Gaga. The Doctor raised his eyebrow at the skin tight black leather cat suit she was wearing but he said nothing. Sokanon chose a t-shirt that was a close up of Gaga's face wearing shades with diamonds glued on them and Jack brought a souvenir program. Rain opted not to get anything and waited patiently while everyone made their purchases and paid for them. Namid held her rolled up poster close to her while Sokanon slipped her t-shirt on over the pink shirt she was wearing. The Doctor folded his t-shirt up and put it up under his arm while they headed towards the concession stand to get some drinks and something to eat. They purchased Cokes, popcorn and nachos. After they were finished, the Doctor checked the tickets and led them to their seats. To their delight, they ended up in the fifth row on the floor in front of the stage. They sat down in their seats and Jack passed around his program for them to look at while they waited for the show to begin.


	97. Chapter 97

Chapter Ninety Seven

It had been three weeks since Ianto slipped into a coma and Jack sat near the bed, holding onto Ianto's hand. Martha argued that Ianto would be better off in the autopsy room but Jack insisted that Ianto would be moved to their bedroom and the sound of the machines hissing and beeping was the only thing Jack paid attention to. He didn't notice when the Doctor, or any of the family, came to see him and Jack sighed, brushing his finger along the stubble on Ianto's chin.

"Dad?" Nigel asked as he walked into the room and felt his hearts aching. The hair on the top of Jack's head stuck up in places and the rim of his eyes were red from crying. He also hadn't eaten anything and Nigel was sure that Jack hadn't slept.

"Go away," Jack mumbled but Nigel walked to the other side of the bed and folded his arms over his chest.

"Not unless you come with me," he said and Jack looked at him.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you have barely slept in the last three weeks and I don't know the last time you ate anything."

"Starved to death twice," Jack said softly as he stroked his fingers on the top of Ianto's hand and Nigel sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, we felt your mind blink out,' Nigel said when he walked to Jack and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dad, come on, he's not going anywhere."

"Don't you care about him at all?" Jack snapped and Nigel backed away from him.

"I barely know him. For that matter, I barely know you. How can I get to know either of you when you're just sitting here, watching him sleep? Don't you care about Torchwood anymore? We have had three rift flares and had to deal with four weevil attacks."

"Sounds like you don't need me then," Jack said softly and Nigel growled.

"You are a bloody coward!" he shouted when Jack snapped his head toward him then stood up, his hands in tight fists.

"What did you say?" Jack demanded and Nigel smiled.

"You heard me. You're a bloody coward!" Nigel said when Jack swung his fist but Nigel ducked and Jack spun in a half circle, falling to the floor. Nigel caught him before he hit the ground as he wrapped his arms around Jack and Jack started sobbing. Hushing him, Nigel rocked him as he sent love into Jack's mind and gently rubbed his back.

"I miss him!" Jack sobbed as Nigel nodded and hushed him.

"I know," Nigel whispered as he looked up at the bed and sighed, rocking Jack back and forth.

"Look who's here!" Jack said when he carried Rory into the room and headed for the bed. They had told Rory about what happened to Ianto and Jack sat him on the bed next to Ianto. Rory looked at Ianto when he moved closer and lifted up one of Ianto's eyelids.

"Pa-paw Yan, you in there?" he asked while Jack smiled and Rory looked up at Jack. "He didn't wake up. He used to wake up when I did that."

"I know, Sweetie," Jack said when he picked Rory up then sat down next to Ianto and sat Rory on his lap.

"What do you think he's dreaming about?" Rory asked, looking up at Jack and Jack kissed the top of Rory's head.

"Knowing him, he's making me coffee," Jack said with a laugh and Rory giggled.

"He let me try coffee but I didn't like it," Rory said as he patted Ianto's chest and Jack looked down at him.

"When he do that?"

"The day before he got sick," Rory sighed and Jack rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Ah, that would explain the cookie crumbs in my coffee," he said with a nod of his head when Martha appeared in the doorway and had her medical bag in her hand.

"Um, Jack, I need to check Yan," she said as Jack nodded, carefully stood up and headed for the door with Rory in his arms.

"Are you going to make Pa-paw Yan all better now, Aunt Martha?" Rory asked as she sighed then smiled, patting his hand.

"I'll try," she said as Jack took Rory out of the room and she walked to the bed, looking down at Ianto. "I'll try."

Three months passed with no sign of Ianto coming out of his coma and Jack, Grace and Martha made sure that Ianto's legs and arms were moved to promote blood circulation and so his muscles wouldn't deteriorate. They also carefully rolled him on one side then the other to prevent bedsores and Jack was amazed by the emails, letters and cards of well wishes that arrived nearly every day.

"Jack, you need to come and have some fun," Adam said while he and Alan stood near the bed but Jack shook his head and Adam looked at Alan. Nodding, he set up a privacy block then Alan and Adam appeared in Jack's mind and were wearing tuxedos. A microphone stand appeared as they started to sing "Witch Doctor" and wiggled their hips side to side. After they finished the song, they did a bow then the sounds of crickets filled the air and they looked at each other. "Tough room."

"Ah, I know what to do!" Alan said when he spun around in circles then was dressed in jeans, a Stitch t-shirt, a green hoodie sweatshirt and green converse sneakers and started singing "I'm A Free Bitch, Baby".

"Will you both stop?" Jack snapped as they blinked and Adam dropped the privacy block.

"Um, ok, we're just trying…" Alan said and Jack nodded.

"I know what you are trying to do, and I appreciate it, but I just want to be alone with Yan, ok?" Jack asked and they nodded, leaving the room. Nigel nodded to them as they walked by when he walked into the room and Jack looked at him. Nigel walked to the bed when he carefully sat down near Ianto's leg and Jack half smiled at him.

"So, how is he?" Nigel asked as he flattened Ianto's fingers and Jack sighed.

"He's the same," Jack said and Nigel nodded.

"Tell me something," he said and Jack tilted his head to one side.

"What?"

"How did you two meet?" Nigel asked while Jack half smiled and started telling how he met Ianto Jones.

"You want to do what?" the Doctor asked while standing next to the bed and Jack smoothed the duvet over Ianto's stomach.

"I want to have a baby," Jack said with a serious tone in his voice and the Doctor blinked a few times.

"Um, and how are you going to go about doing that?"

"I want you to turn me human and impregnate me with some of my DNA and some of his DNA," Jack said, pointing to Ianto.

"Unless things have changed in the fifty-first century, men can't have babies."

"Doc, I'm serious! I want his baby!"

"Jack…" the Doctor sighed and Jack walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Doc, he's been in a coma for four months. Marta says that it's been too long and he started glowing yesterday, She isn't sure if he would wake up if he regenerated and I can't stand to see him do it until he goes through all thirteen lives then finally…" Jack said as new tears rolled down his face and the Doctor held him, rubbing his back. "I want to have someone that's made from the both of us."

"Come with me," he said as Jack nodded then looked at Ianto and they left the room.

Jack had never been to the looming center before as he looked at the round stone building and smiled at the large, metal stork that was above the door.

"That was Adam's idea," the Doctor said as Jack nodded and they walked toward the door. Martha had taken some DNA from Ianto then Jack as Jack held onto the white box and the doors hissed open. The lobby was busy with couples filling out forms in the waiting rooms, interns leading couples to one room or the other, and doctors and nurses talking about one couple or another. The walls of the lobby were stark white with a wide variety hologram photographs of babies and soft music played over the speakers. Jack smiled at the small hologram picture of three severed hands floating in jars of blue preservation fluid and Baby Wiggle Wart, Baby Bubble Butt and Baby Handy was written in red letters at the bottom of the frame.

"Who're Baby Wiggle Wart, Baby Bubble Butt and Baby Handy?" Jack asked and the Doctor smiled.

"They're Alan, Adam and John. It's Rose, Marion and Rosie's idea of a joke," the Doctor said and Jack laughed. The white tile clicked under their feet as they walked down the hallway and Jack was impressed by the decorations and furniture. They headed for the lift when the Doctor pushed the button and Jack sighed. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm ok," Jack said while the Doctor nodded and the lift doors opened. They walked inside the lift when the doors closed and the Doctor pushed the button. The lift moved when "She's Having My Baby" started playing over the speaker and Jack softly laughed. "Alan's idea?"

"Yep," the Doctor said when the door opened and they walked down the hallway. They went around the corner when they came to a door and the door hissed open, showing them a semi dark room with several birthing balls sitting at the center of the room.

"Whoa," Jack whispered as they quietly walked into the room and he looked at the small fetus floating inside the birthing balls. He knew that Adam had designed the birthing ball when Marion wasn't able to carrying River and James to full term and had given them the plans to the birthing balls when they came to New Gallifrey. Jack looked at one tiny fetus as it slowly bobbed up and down and an umbilical cord connected it to the top of the birthing ball.

"May I help you?" a voice asked when the Doctor smiled at the blonde haired woman walking toward them and she smiled at the Doctor. "Oh, Sir, it's you. Here to give looming a try?"

"Uh, no, I'd rather do it the old fashioned way," the Doctor said and Doctor Carlie Miller nodded. Doctor Miller was one of the doctors that was helping with the looming process and was the top in her field of genetics.

"I'm the one that wants to do it," Jack said as she looked at him then nodded.

"Where is your friend?" she asked as the Doctor gently touched her arm and led her to the other side of the room. Jack didn't listen to what he was telling her as he watched the fetus bob up and down then turned when someone tapped his back. Doctor Miller smiled at him and held her hand out toward the white box. He handed the white box to her as she took his hand and wrapped her fingers around his.

"This way, Captain," she said as he looked at the Doctor and he nodded. Sighing, Jack followed Doctor Miller as she headed for the lab and the Doctor turned around, headed for the door.


	98. Chapter 98

Chapter Ninety Eight

While they waited for the show to begin, the seats around them began to fill up. Some people were dressed up like Lady Gaga and one lady wearing an enormous black hat sat down directly in front of Namid. The Doctor was looking through the program with Rain, giggling at the outrageous outfits she was wearing.

"I have to say her fashion sense is unique," he said to Rain. "I s'pose she'll never have a problem standing out in a crowd."

"I think she's doing what Madonna did, dress and act outrageous for shock value," Rain replied.

"I agree," Jack said. "I think she took up where Madonna left off. Actually, I use all those outrageous outfits as a threat. I keep telling Yan I'm gonna dress up like her and go out to eat with him one night."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, mate," the Doctor said. "You might end up eating a knuckle sandwich at the restaurant."

Jack frowned when Namid suddenly came over and sat on his lap.

"Mi-mi, stop that, go and sit back down in your seat. You're too old to be sitting on people's laps," Rain said.

"I can't, Mummy, I can't see over that lady's big hat! I can see the stage now," she said.

Everyone looked over and saw Sokanon pointing to the lady with the big hat. The Doctor sighed and got up. He tapped the lady on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," he said when she looked at him. "My daughter can't see over your hat, can you please remove it?"

"It's part of my outfit," the lady said.

"Yes, hurrah, you look stunning. However, my daughter is ten years old and short of sitting on a heap of phonebooks, she won't be able to see around you. She has just as much right to see the show as you do so will you take your hat off?"

The lady sighed angrily and ripped her hat off her head and slammed it down on her lap. The Doctor, biting back the urge to say something sarcastic about ruining her fashion statement, politely thanked her and nodded at Namid.

"All clear, Rainbow," he said to her.

"Wait a tic, Daddy, I'm telling Uncle Jack about our sightseeing trip to London the other day," Namid said to him.

"Sounds like you had fun," Jack said to the Doctor. "Except Mi-mi is telling me you forced them to go to the Freud house so you could brag about how you spent the night in the house before it became a museum and talked on and on about what a deluded fool Freud was."

"He was a deluded fool," the Doctor said as Rain giggled. "All that obsession he had with phalluses and how most of people's problems stemmed from sex or the lack thereof. I told him perhaps instead of telling other people they fantasized about bedding their mothers, he needed a good boinking to get his mind off of sex and he punched me in the nose. Stupid git. Last time I ever spent the night in his house. House smelled of cigars anyway and he snorted enough cocaine to kill a small horse, no wonder his mind was wonky."

"Anyway…" Jack said as the women laughed. "Did you spend all your time at Freud's house?"

"No," Sokanon said, getting up and walking over, "we also went to the Design Museum just so Daddy could tease us and talk on and on about how wonderful telly's were."

"Gee, glad I didn't go with ya," Jack said, rolling his eyes.

"I did take them to the Childhood Museum so they could see the toys so it wasn't all bad for them," the Doctor replied. "And we went to the zoo as well and the aquarium."

"Alan is sillier though when he takes us to England," Sokanon said.

"How d'ya mean?" the Doctor said.

The girls giggled.

"Sometimes he lands Daisy and acts silly," Namid said. "Like one time we went to Pudsey and he opened the door and stood in front of it and said, ah, Pudsey, there's so much to see and do here. And then he'd block the door for about ten seconds while he looked around and then he'd run back in while he'd say, well, we've seen everything in Pudsey, let's move on. And he'd keep going to little towns and opening the door and talking about how it's his favorite town and there's so much to see while he blocked the door and ten seconds later, he'd run back in saying we'd seen everything and we'd go on and then he got to London and did that and we finally shoved him away from the door so we could get out."

The Doctor snickered.

"I think he got that from me, love. I used to do random things like that for a giggle, especially when I was between companions and traveling alone. I'd get bored and do off the wall things to amuse myself."

"Like what, Daddy?" Namid asked.

The Doctor thought for a moment, a grin spread over his face as he chuckled softly.

"Well, one time I landed right in the middle of the Battle of Bull Run next to a Union cannon. I opened the door, ran out, told the startled soldiers they were low on powder, then ran back in and went away.

"Which life was that?" Rain asked.

"Fourth one, right after I took Sarah Jane back to…well, she ended up in Aberdeen when she meant to go to Croydon but I thought I did take her back to Croydon at the time. Anyway, I did that from time to time, just cheap jokes for laughs on those odd days when I did get bored out of my mind."

"We oughta do that one day, Daddy, just so we can have a laugh," Namid said.

"Perhaps…if you clean the entire TARDIS and get it sparkly clean," the Doctor said.

"No thanks," Namid said as the adults laughed.

They turned their attention to the stage when the lights dimmed. The Doctor put his arm around Rain's shoulders and settled back in his seat as his daughters leapt to their feet. Throughout the concert, they danced and sang while the Doctor smiled tenderly at them and enjoyed their excitement. He had to admit the songs were catchy and he could see why his brother liked her. The costumes were a bit strange though but he had met enough rock stars to know they were an eccentric bunch who did outrageous things as a gimmick. While he watched her, he had to admit a few of her outfits looked familiar, like he had seen them worn by people on other planets. He mulled over that and then figured it was just a coincidence. While he watched, he felt his wife lay her head on his shoulder and he smiled at her.

"Hey, wanna be in a Bad Romance?" she said in his ear while they listened to the song.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow and gave her an impish grin.

"You mean you wanna be a free bitch?" he said in her ear.

Rain giggled.

"Only if you want me to be," she purred in his ear.

She laughed when the Doctor leered at her and wagged his eyebrows. He looked over when Namid tapped him on the shoulder and leaned over so she could talk in his ear.

"Hey, she just said the dirty lyric," she said.

"Well, don't you sing it or I'll hang you up there," he said, pointing up to the lighting.

"Are you having fun, Daddy?"

"Yes, but that's because I'm having fun watching you have fun," the Doctor said into her ear.

"Can we find a way to meet her after the show?" Namid said into his ear.

"Um…I'll have to see, Rainbow," he said into her ear. "But don't be upset if I can't get us back there. Okay?"

Namid nodded. She kissed his cheek and went back to dancing and singing while the Doctor gave her back a rub and cuddled with Rain. She put her lips to her ear.

"You know," she said. "Since we were kind enough to take them to this, they have to come along with us to a concert of our choosing."

"What did you have in mind?" the Doctor said.

She gave him an evil grin.

"Um…Tiny Tim, Slim Whitman, Perry Como?"

She grinned when the Doctor sniggered at that and whistled innocently while he glanced at his daughters. The two of them were now dancing and singing to Telephone and didn't see the evil grin on his face as thoughts of being an arse and taking them to see Yoko Ono flashed through his mind.

Meanwhile the children were rocking out. In the middle of the song though, Namid decided to think to Alan. She found his mind and brought it forward, singing telephone to him while she danced. She felt Alan's surprise and then heard him chuckle.

_Is that what you're listening to now?_ He thought to her.

_Yup. We're having fun,_ she thought back.

_So are we. We're watching part one of the Deathly Hallows and afterwards, we're gonna jump ahead and go see part two._

Namid's mouth fell open.

_I wanna see Harry Potter. Take us next,_ she thought to him.

_Sorry, Meemster, you wanted to see Gaga more than Potter but I'll see what I can do about taking you and Soki sometime,_ Alan thought back.

Namid heard him chuckling in her head again and then he began to sing to her.

_Hello, hello, baby, you called, I can't hear a thing. I have got no service in the cinema, you see, see. What did you say; you're breakin' up on me. Sorry, I cannot hear you, I'm kinda busy. Kinda busy, kinda busy, sorry I cannot hear you, I'm kinda busy._

Namid giggled at that as Alan continued to croon inside her head.

_Stop callin', stop callin', I don't wanna think any more. I'm busy watching Hermione being a slutty whore, stop callin', stop callin, I don't wanna talk any more. Your mental thoughts are tiresome and a right bore. _

_Fine, I won't call you anymore, _Namid thought to him_. I won't tell you that Daddy got you a souvenir._

_Oh? What is it?_

_Can't say, it's a surprise._

_Well, in that case…stop callin', stop callin', I don't wanna think any more. I'm gonna go getcha and ram your head into a door._

_She's not singing that song anymore, _Namid thought.

_Oh? What is she singing now?_

_Alejandro._

_What about Bad Romance?_

_She already did that one._

_Poker Face?_

_Yup._

_Just Dance?_

_Yup._

_Damn, I'm missing all the good songs. Ah well, Deathly Hallows is better._

_You have to take us to see that, Uncle Alan._

_She didn't hear a reply._

_Uncle Alan._

_Beeep, this is Uncle Alan, he's just been struck deaf and can't hear you anymore, write a letter and drop it in the post and you'll get a reply in two weeks time, beeeeeeeep._

_Uncle Alan, quit that, I wanna go see Harry Potter._

_You have a spousal unit with a TARDIS, take it up with him._

_Fine, I will, _Namid thought.

She was about to say something else when she heard people gasping around her and she and her family members looked up. Her eyes widened when she saw a huge spaceship slowly flying over their heads.

"Whoa!" Sokanon said.

She looked at her father who was getting to his feet with Rain and Jack.

"Somehow, I don't think this is part of the concert," he said grimly.


	99. Chapter 99

Chapter Ninety Nine

The Doctor had finally talked Jack into going on a parts run with him while Nigel sat on the bed and watched Ianto softly breathing. Martha and Grace had tried talking Jack into removing the breathing tube, the feeding tube and the machines but he just threatened to fire them and told them to leave Ianto alone. Ianto was becoming very thin and his skin had a waxy feeling to it. Rubbing his finger along the back of Ianto's hand, Nigel sighed, brushing some of his hair from his eyes.

"Ok, Mate, this has gone on long enough. It's been a little over a year since you sunk into this coma of yours, well, thirteen months, if you want to be picky, and I will not let my dad suffer anymore because you want to sleep your life away! Talk about being thoughtless! Do you have any idea what he's going through? I thought you bloody loved the guy! He loves you! He sits here, day after day, holding your hand and had starved to death more times than I can count from forgetting to eat! Do you hear me? Nigel said then sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. "Blimey, of course you can't hear me. How can I make you hear me?"

"Have you tried talking to him psychically?" a voice asked and Nigel looked to see Adam standing in the doorway. Walking toward the bed, Adam looked down at Ianto and sighed.

"Stacey asked me why he hasn't regenerated," Nigel said as he wiped his hair from his eyes and Adam checked the monitors.

"I didn't when I was in a coma," Adam said and Nigel blinked.

"When were you in a coma?" Adam told him about when he had a vision about Rain leaving the Doctor, John leaving with Tara and falling off a cliff when he tried to get to Alan to help him stop them.

"It came true, except for the falling off a cliff, and I slipped into a coma from the shock. Marion wondered the same thing about me not regenerating and Martha figured out that comas either interfere with the regeneration process or it's not serious enough to trigger it."

"Bugger, but I still don't get all this talking psychically stuff. I don't like the idea of having all these voices in my head and just shut them out."

"Yeah, we know that. The thing is, if you want to talk to him, maybe the only way he can communicate is psychically but there is something stopping him."

"You mean like brain damage or a tumor?"

"Did Martha find any tumors or damage?"

"Nope, and it's driving my dad nuts."

"Well, if you're not comfortable talking psychically, I could help you do it," Adam said then shivered when something vibrated in his pocket and took his cell phone out, flipping it open. "Ah, shit, Marion needs me to pick David up at the academy."

"Right, you better get going then. We'll be ok," Nigel said and Adam nodded, leaving the room. Nigel looked at Ianto when he closed his eyes and thought about what Jack told him about talking psychically. Opening his eyes, he moved closer to Ianto when he placed his fingers against Ianto's temples and cleared his mind. He slowly moved his mind into Ianto's mind as he felt a small resistance coming from Ianto and pushed a little harder.

"_GO AWAY!" _Ianto's voice shouted inside his head as Nigel fell to the floor onto his bottom then got up, leaning onto the bed.

"I don't think so," Nigel said as he sat back on the bed and placed his fingers against Ianto's temples. He pushed his mind into Ianto's mind as Ianto fought back and Nigel locked his eyes on Ianto's face.

"_Why are you fighting me?" _Nigel thought when something appeared in front of him and it was a woman with dark skin, black hair and brown eyes, covered head to toe in chrome metal.

"_Leave him alone!" _the image of Lisa, Ianto's former girlfriend that was changed into a cyberwoman, shouted and Nigel growled.

"_Bloody hell I will!" _Nigel thought when his mental image plowed through her and she screamed.

"Get away from him!" Martha shouted when she pulled Nigel away from Ianto and Nigel fell hard onto the floor. Martha checked the monitors while the alarms blared in the room and Nigel got off the floor, looking at her. "What the hell were you doing?"

"I was trying to talk to him," Nigel said while she examined Ianto then glared at him.

"You nearly caused him to regenerate," she said, pointing to the fading light around Ianto's hands.

"But he's not waking up."

"So you thought forcing him to wake up was the answer? I thought you were smart!"

"I am smart but this is gone on long enough! Either wake him up or pull the bloody plug!" Nigel shouted when he felt someone grab his shoulder and spun him around. Jack's eyes were pitch black as he glared at Nigel and Nigel swallowed, making his Adam's apple bob up and down.

"Get out." Jack said in a low tone as he let go of Nigel and Nigel sighed, leaving the room.

The soft hissing and beeping sounds filled the air while the stars sparkled outside the window and the door softly opened. Nigel walked toward the bed when he sat on the bed and looked at Ianto. Moving closer, he placed his fingers against Ianto's temples and closed his eyes, gently entering his mind.

"_Look, Mate, I don't want to fight you. Talk to me," _Nigel thought when he felt Jack's mind rushing toward his mind and set up a privacy block. Adam had told him how to set one and Nigel gently stroked Ianto's temples with his fingers. He waited when he felt something flickering on the edge of his mind and Nigel blinked. _"Yan, is that you?"_

"_Go away," _Ianto thought in a soft tone and Nigel blinked.

"_Why? What did I do?"_

"_You're here."_

"_Aye, I am here. What's wrong with that?"_

"_He never told me. He never talked about her. What did he expect me to do when I found out that he had a son?"_

"_I thought you were ok with all this. You told my mum that it was ok."_

"_I was ok with her being here but the whole idea of him having a child that's not ours still hurts."_

"_So you decided to get even with him by staying in a coma for thirteen months?"_

"_I've been asleep for thirteen months?"_

"_Aye and my dad is a wreck. He's starved to death more times than I can count, he doesn't go out with the team or the family, he only shaves and brushes his teeth and sits here with you."_

"_Didn't anyone make him go out?"_

"_Aye but he's stubborn. He loves you and I thought you loved him."_

"_I do love him."_

"_You have a weird way of showing it."_

"_But he needs to get to know you, Stacey and Rory."_

"_And so do you. Do you know that Rory's potty trained now? He dragged the potty chair in here the other day, pulled his training nappies down, peed then stood up and said "Look, Pa-paw Yan, I can go potty.". He was so sad when you didn't say anything."_

"_I missed that?" _Ianto thought when Nigel heard Ianto make a deep sigh then frown.

"_You're missing a lot of things, Mate. Don't you remember the anniversary for the Doctor and Rain? We were in it, you and I. We were sitting there, arms on each other's shoulders, and looked so happy. Shit, all my life I wanted a dad and now I've got two of them. The problem is one of them is being a stubborn git and wants to sleep through everything."_

"_You want me to be your dad?"_

"_I just said so, didn't I?"_

"_But…"_

"_Hold on, I was talking to Adam and he told me about his coma."_

"_Yes, I remember that. He said that he…that…that…Oh, shit, I ran away, didn't I? Instead of getting into the TARDIS, I ran into my head and hid."_

"_I think getting slightly electrocuted had a hand in it," _Nigel thought and heard Ianto laugh inside his head.

"_Yeah, that didn't help. The thing is, how do I wake up?"_

"_Opening your eyes is a start," _Nigel said and Ianto laughed. The lights came up when the alarms rang out and Nigel broken the connection, getting off the bed. Martha and Jack ran into the room when Jack charged at Nigel and pinned him against the wall.

"What did you do?" Jack demanded while Martha examined Ianto then turned to Jack and called to him. Shoving Nigel into the wall, Jack walked to the bed when he looked down and Ianto was looking up at him.

"L-leave…our…s-son…alone," Ianto grumbled as Nigel walked to the bed and Ianto smiled up at him. Brushing the hair out of Ianto's eyes, Nigel smiled back then took Ianto's hand and wrapped his fingers around Ianto's fingers.

"Finally decided to wake up, hunh, Dad?" he whispered and Ianto barely squeezed his fingers.

"Ye-yeah," Ianto said and Nigel kissed the top of his head then looked at Jack.

"Well it's about time. The coffee around here has been terrible," Jack said with a smile and Ianto coughed when he tried to laugh.

"Sh-shall I go make a n-new pot, Sir?" he asked and Martha covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

"Nah," Jack said then walked around to the other side of the bed, leaned down and kissed Ianto's lips.

"Right, you two, out, I need to examine him," Martha said and Nigel and Jack nodded, leaving the room. Nigel walked ahead of Jack when Jack caught up with him and placed his hand on Nigel's shoulder, making him turn around.

"Um, I just want to…Um…I…" Jack said when Nigel hugged him and sent love into his mind.

"I know, Dad, I know," Nigel said then moved back and smiled at him. "Want some leftover pizza? I think there's some in the refrigerator."

"Sounds good," Jack said when he placed his arm around Nigel's shoulder, heading down the hallway.

Martha and Grace ran a few tests over the next few months and found that Ianto was going to have no ill effects from the coma. Ianto loved the attention everyone was giving him but Jack hovering over him day and night was driving him bonkers.. The Doctor did find a rehabilitation center on Denaro VII where Ianto could go get the therapy and care that he needed and Jack went forward in time and brought him back to New Gallifrey after spending two years at the center.

"We're home!" Jack said as he walked into the Doctor's backyard and Ianto slowly followed him. He blushed while the others applauded and Adam and Alan were jumping up and down, pumping their fists into the air.

"Thanks," Ianto said softly as he walked to the lounge and sat down. Rain walked to the lounge when she placed the plate with several Navajo tacos on it on his lap and kissed his cheek. Nodding, he picked up one of the tacos and started eating. He nodded as people came to welcome him home when he noticed that Jack was missing and looked up at Nigel, who was holding Rory on his hip. "Where did your dad go?"

"I don't know," Nigel said while Rory tried to get down and he sat Rory on the lounge next to Ianto.

"Gimme a taco," Rory said as Ianto pulled the plate away and Rory frowned.

"Is that how you ask me?" Ianto asked and Rory shook his head.

"May I have a taco, Pa-paw Yan, please?" he asked and Ianto nodded, handing him a Navjo taco. He let Rory snuggle closer as he placed his arm around him and Nigel smiled. A few minutes later Jack walked out of the house with something wrapped in a pink blanket and the others looked at him. He walked to Ianto while Nigel lifted Rory off the lounge and took a taco off the plate, walking away. Ianto looked at Jack when Jack carefully knelt next to the lounge and looked into the blanket.

"What's in there?" Ianto asked.

"I wanted to wait until we got home but she woke up too soon," Jack said and Ianto frowned.

"Jack, what is that?" he asked, pointing at the blaneket.

"I didn't know if you were ever going to wake up and…I…Um…." Jack said when the Doctor coughed then looked at the others and Jack sighed.

"Right, inside!" the Doctor said as he pointed to the house and the others walked inside the house. Jack watched as the glass door slid shut and the Doctor closed the curtain. Ianto looked at Jack when Jack looked into the blanket and Ianto placed his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Jack, what did you do?" Ianto asked.

"I didn't know if you'd ever woke up so I decided I wanted your baby," Jack said then explained what he did and Ianto sighed.

"You have to stop doing things without talking to me first. I'm your husband and you need to respect me or our marriage means nothing. And you have to tell me everything. Are there other Nigels out there?" he asked and Jack saw the seriousness in his eyes.

"No, he's the only one."

"He's the only one you know of."

"So, what, you don't want to be with me now because I have a kid that's not ours?"

"No, I want to be with you. I just need you to be honest with me. I want to know you and I want you to know me. Please, Jack, it's all I ask of you," Ianto said with tears in his eyes and Jack smiled, kissing the back of Ianto's hand. "Now, can I see my daughter?"

Jack slowly handed Ianto the blanket as Ianto looked into the blanket and the baby looked up at him, blinking at him. Ianto kissed the top of the baby's head then sent love into the baby's mind and she snuggled against his chest.

"What is her name?"

"Her middle name is Andella, that was my mother's name, and her first name is…" Jack said and Ianto titled his head to one side.

"Yes?"

"I wanted it to be a special name."

"What is it?"

"Her first name is…Lisa," Jack said then stood up and wiped the tears from Ianto's eyes. Carefully sitting on the lounge next to them, Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto and Ianto placed his head on Jack's shoulder.

"….And here is my wonderful daughter, Lisa!" Jack's voice said on the screen while Nigel looked at the screen and the young woman with dark hair flipped Jack off and Nigel ran up behind her, blowing a raspberry against her cheek.

"You wanker!" she shouted then got up and chased after Nigel as Jack turned the camera toward Ianto and Ianto shrugged.

"And she dunks his head into the punch bowl!" Jack's voice said as the camera turned around and Lisa laughed while Nigel shook the punch out of his hair.

"Yeah, having a little sister is going to be interesting," Nigel said when he turned the video off then turned the computer off and sat back in the chair. He felt someone tap him when he looked up and Ianto lowered Lisa into Nigel's arms, making him smile.

"So, how long have you known about her?" Ianto asked when he sat down on the other chair and Nigel rocked Lisa in his arms.

"Since I first watched the video, but wasn't sure when she came into our lives."

"And you're ok with your dad having a baby with me?"

"Yep," Nigel said with a nod of his head and Ianto smiled. "Just promise me that you'll never do the whole coma thing again. Even though he can't regenerate, watching him die then come back freaks me out."

"I promise," Ianto said when Rory walked to them and looked at Ianto.

"What's Daddy doing?" he asked, pointing to Nigel.

"He's holding the baby," Ianto said.

"Will you hold me, Pa-paw?" Rory asked and Ianto nodded, lifting Rory onto his lap. Jack stood at the top of the stairs while watching his boys when he sat down on the top step and smiled, placing his lower arms on his thighs.


	100. Chapter 100

A/N: This little story with Lady Gaga is kind of inspired by Men in Black and the joke about Dennis Rodman being a space alien but his having not much of a disguise.

Chapter One Hundred

The Doctor let out an angry sigh when he noticed the UFO stopping right over their heads. Rain quickly pulled the children to her as the crowd began to panic and run out of the stadium.

"Always something," the Doctor muttered as he glanced up at the large black spaceship. "If I'm not mistaken, it's a Geordie Warship. Great, just what we need, warmongers at a Lady Gaga concert."

"Um, Doctor…"

The Doctor looked at Jack. Jack pointed towards the stage.

"I know Lady Gaga has some strange props but I had no idea she had a plasma blaster."

The Doctor jerked his head at the stage. His eyes bulged when he saw the tiny white blaster in Lady Gaga's hand. His mouth fell open when she started firing plasma bolts up at the ship while everyone else ran for the cover.

"Okay, what's wrong with this picture?" Rain said to the Doctor as they watched her firing up at the ship.

"Daddy, I told Uncle Alan what's happening and he's coming here," Namid said as she and Sokanon came to his side.

Just then there was a flash and Alan appeared by their sides, a vortex manipulator strapped to his wrist.

"Your daughters asked me to take them to see Deathly Hallows, I s'pose I'll have to take them now just to catch up on what I'm gonna miss sorting this out," Alan said. "What's going on?"

"Lady Gaga is shooting at an alien spaceship," Jack said.

Alan gave him a confused look. They pointed to the stage. By now, most of the people had fled, leaving Gaga on the stage. The Doctor looked at Alan.

"Take the children back to wherever you were watching the film," he said to him. "And Rain, go with them. We'll sort this out."

Rain nodded and kissed him on the lips. She took the shirt that the Doctor got for Alan and the girls gathered up their souvenirs and Jack's program. They held onto Alan and he took them away.

"Right," the Doctor said to Jack when they disappeared. "Time to get to the bottom of this."

Alan appeared in the lobby of the cinema. The people behind the concession counter were startled and it took a moment for Alan to calm them and explain what he was doing. He hurried over to the ticket counter and paid for Rain and the children's admission while he thought to Rose and told them they were in the lobby. By the time he was finished, Rose was outside talking to Rain who was filling her in on what was happening.

"Starlight, can you get them something to eat?" Alan said, handing her some money. "I'm going back to help out."

Rose nodded as she took the money. She kissed him and wished him luck. Alan kissed Rain's cheek and hugged and kissed his nieces before he stepped back and disappeared.

"Come on, the film's about half way done but I think I can explain what's happened so far. Let's get something to eat and drink while we wait for the boys to come back," Rose said to them.

They got some popcorn and some sodas and Rose led them into the theater. Christopher and Chaska gave them curious looks as Namid and Sokanon sat down next to them. Rain sat down next to Rose and gave her Alan's t-shirt, explaining it was for him and it was supposed to be a joke. Rose examined it in the light from the movie, frowning at the bird on her head.

"Okay, this is weird," Rose said softly as Rain chuckled.

"Daddy says it's s'posed to be someone called the Black Guardian," Sokanon said softly.

"Yeah, it reminded him of some bad guy he fought in the past and he got it for Alan as a joke," Rain said softly.

"Well, he'll like it anyway, he'll wear it until it wears out, I guarantee ya," Rose said softly.

They turned their attention to the movie and ate while they watched. They became so engrossed in the film that Rose jumped when after a half hour she felt Alan put his lips to her ear.

"Sorry, Starlight," he whispered. "I need you and Rain to come into the lobby for a moment."

"Did you fix the problem?" Rose whispered to him.

"Um…yes and no, I need you to come with me. You need to hear this," he whispered to them.

"Do we come too, Uncle Alan?" Sokanon whispered.

"Nah, go ahead and watch the film. It's not that important," Alan whispered back as Rose and Rain got up and walked in to the aisle.

"Uncle Alan, your present!" Sokanon whispered to him.

Alan gave her a quizzical look until Rose handed him the shirt that had been in her lap. Alan held it up and stared at the photo of Lady Gaga as Namid came over to him and tugged on his shirt sleeve.

"Daddy says this is s'posed to be the Black Guardian and you'd get the joke," she whispered in his ear.

Alan stared at it and snickered at the photo.

"Yeah, I do. I definitely get the joke," he whispered back.

They heard a few of the moviegoers grumbling at them and Alan sent Namid back to her seat before he, Rose and Rain hurried up the aisle to the door. Namid went back to her seat and sat down.

"I wonder what's going on?" Sokanon whispered.

"Dunno, but I wanna find out," Chaska said, getting up.

"Chas," Sokanon hissed, "they said to stay here!"

"I'm not gonna bother em, I just wanna see what's going on," Chaska whispered back as he went past his sisters.

Sokanon and Namid watched as he went up the aisle towards the door. They looked at each other and shook their heads before settling back in their seats to watch the movie. They munched on their popcorn and sipped their soda while they and their cousin watched the film. Namid was putting some popcorn in her mouth when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey, I think Lady Gaga is out there with them," Chaska whispered to them.

Namid and Sokanon stared at him in shock for a moment before they set their food aside and got up out of their seats. Chaska sat back down while they scurried up the aisle. They opened the door and their eyes nearly popped from their skulls when they saw their family members in the corner of the theater quietly talking to Lady Gaga. Rain was facing the door and noticed them. She smiled and walked over towards them.

"Mummy, it's her," Namid whispered to her as she pointed.

"Yeah, I know. They rescued her from those aliens," Rain whispered back to them.

"Why did the aliens want Lady Gaga?" Sokanon whispered.

"Well…um, she's an alien too," Rain whispered.

She chuckled at the shocked look on her daughter's faces.

"She's from outer space?" Sokanon whispered to her mother.

Her mother nodded.

"She was from the same planet that spaceship came from. She came to Earth about three years ago to escape a war. She tried to have a singing career on her homeworld, Geordie, but music was outlawed there by the ruling dictator except for religious music that glorified him so she came to Earth because she heard that Earthlings were openminded when it came to music and that's why she's become successful. Some of her outfits are things that other alien species wear but here on Earth they're considered odd and exotic."

"But why do the aliens wanna hurt her?"

"Because she tried to fight against the regime with a few friends. She used both her music and other methods and her friends got captured and executed and she was the last one. The Geordies tracked her to Earth and they were gonna kill her but she and your daddy and Uncles managed to scare them off…at least for the moment."

"Does she know who Daddy is?" Sokanon whispered.

"Yes, she's heard of him," Rain said.

"Does everyone know Daddy?" Namid whispered.

Rain grinned.

"Your daddy is one of the most famous people in the universe. Lots of people know him and all the good he's done. That's why a lot of people come to him for help."

"Is that what he's doing now?" Namid whispered.

"Trying to," Rain whispered back.

Sokanon and Namid looked between them when Alan put his head in the space between their shoulders.

"I thought you were in watching Harry Potter like we told you to do," he whispered. "Why are you out here being nosy?"

"Cause Chaska was nosy and peeked out the door."

"I see. I see I shall have to dunk him in the bath and make him eat chalk for that."

"Are you helping Lady Gaga?" Namid asked.

"Trying to, didn't you hear your mum, deafness?"

He snickered when Namid swatted his arm and kissed her cheek.

"Come, come and meet Lady Gaga in person. And by the way, that's her real name. She told everyone on Earth that her nom de plume came from Queen's Radio Gaga but that's a fib. She really is a Lady, her family was nobility on Geordie and her name is Gaga, isn't that brilliant. She was trying to hide in plain sight but the problem was she got a bit too famous and visiting aliens heard her music and told their friends about it and so on and so on until it back to her planet. She wants to stay here but not if the Geordies are gonna harass her."

"No, she's gotta stay here, she's cool," Namid said.

"Do you wanna meet her?" Alan asked.

They nodded and he took their hands.

"Follow me then," he said as they walked back over towards the group huddle in the corner.


	101. Chapter 101

Chapter One Hundred One

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this. My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss," twelve year old David read as he stood in front of the couch and Marion looked at the script in her hand. David was playing Romeo in the Shakespeare festival and he was rehearsing the kissing scene.

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this. For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss," she read then glanced up at him and he smiled.

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers, too?"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

"Well, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair. "

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake. "

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take," David said then paused and looked at Marion. "Um, this is where they kiss."

"I know."

"But I don't know if I can," he sighed and Marion patted the cushion and he sat next to her.

"What's wrong?" she asked when he leaned against her and she placed her arm around him.

"I never kissed a girl before," he sighed and she looked at him with a shocked look on her face.

"You've kissed me."

"But you're not a girl."

"Really, then what am I?"

"You're my mommy. Kissing you doesn't count."

"Thanks a lot," she said and smiled at him.

"That's not what I mean. See, Billie Walker is Juliet and she's…" he said and she saw the tips of his ears turning pink, just like Adam's ears do when he blushes. Billie Walker was a girl David liked and she thought it was cute how shy he was about talking about her.

"_Just like his father," _she thought and David looked at her.

"Hunh?" David asked and she realized that she had heard her thoughts.

"Your dad was really shy when we were dating. The tip of his ears used to turn pink when he blushed just like yours," she said and David cupped his hands over his ears. "Come on, it's cute."

"What's cute?" Adam said when he walked inside and closed the door behind him. "Oh, I see what's cute!" Walking closer, he bent over and kissed Marion on the lips and she giggled. He sat between Marion and David when he placed his arms over the top of the couch and looked at them. "So, what are we doing?"

"We're rehearsing my play for the festival," David said and Adam looked at the cover of the script.

"Ah, you're doing Romeo and Juliet, hunh? It's a great play. I remember your uncle telling me that he told Will not to have them kill themselves but use something that would make them look like they were dead. Did he listen? Nope, he wanted them to die. He said something about it being a bigger impact on the audience."

"I think it would have been better if they had lived and ran off together," Marion said.

"That's what several reviewers said but Will just kept it as is," Adam said then looked at David. "So, you're playing Romeo, right?"

"Yeah," David said, nodding his head.

"And who's playing Juliet?"

"It's Billie Walker," David said softly and Adam's eyes went wide.

"Ah, I see!" he said with a grin and ruffled David's hair. "So, what's wrong?"

"I never kissed a girl before."

"Well, there is a way we can fix it," Adam said when he got up, rubbing his hands together. "Come along, Son of Mine!"

"Where are we going?" David asked as he got off the couch and placed the script on the cushion.

"We're going to visit your godfather," Adam said with grin and Marion looked at him.

"Just be careful, Love," she said and he nodded. Both of them knew that Adam took a risk when he visited their old universe and Adam and David headed for the garage. Marion listened to the sound of the TARDIS dematerializing as she sighed and hoped that they didn't run into any trouble. She still felt the hurt from her mother rejecting them after she, Adam, River and James became Time Lords and Time Ladies and her step-father threatening to send their Torchwood after Adam if he or Theta showed up.

"Shit," she sighed then got up and went to the kitchen to make some tea.

(Adam's universe – The Isle of Man)

Adam locked the doors when the TARDIS turned into a large wooden crate and David smiled at him. Placing the golden key into his pocket, Adam led the way as they headed down the pavement and Adam pulled the baseball cap down over his eyes. They walked along when they saw the film crew and David gently pulled on his hand.

"He's over there," David said when he pointed and Adam nodded. They walked to the place where the locals were standing to watch the filming when Adam saw his best friend filming the scene for his new movie and Adam smiled. He had a copy of the movie on dvd in the TARDIS' living room and it was one of Marion's favorite hen night movies. They watched the filming until they were done and his friend walked to the crowd, signing autographs. He looked down at Little David then at Adam when he smiled and Adam shrugged.

"See you in a bit," David whispered and Adam nodded. David returned a few minutes later when he led Adam and Little David to his trailer and the security guard was stunned, seeing two Davids. "He's my twin cousin and this is his son."

The security guard nodded when David opened the door and led Adam and Little David inside. The inside of the trailer had a large couch near the back wall, a chair, a small loo, a small refrigerator and a hotplate, a small television was mounted on the wall and a small coffee table sat at the center of the room. Adam and Little David sat on the couch while David took two beers and a bottle of water from the refrigerator and sat on the chair, placing his feet on the coffee table.

"So, how old are you now?" he asked, sipping on the beer.

"I'm twelve years old," Little David said and David nodded.

"Got a girlfriend?" he asked and Little David's ears turned pink.

"Uh, no, um…"

"What's her name?" David asked with a grin.

"Her name is Billie and she isn't my girlfriend," Little David said with a sigh and David softly laughed.

"Not yet, anyway," David said and Little David nodded. "So, what's going on?"

"I'm doing Romeo and Juliet for the Shakespeare festival," Little David said and David nodded.

"That's a great play. I played Romeo once."

"Then you had to kiss Juliet?" Little David asked and David smiled.

"Ah, now I get it. You need to know how to do a stage kiss."

"Yeah, how do you do that?" Little David asked and David sat forward, placing his wrists on his knees.

"Well, the first thing you do is gently take her head in your hands and look into her eyes."

"We did that but we keep cracking up," Little David said and David laughed.

"That happened to me, too. Now, tilt her head slightly to the left or right, depending on which feels more comfortable for you, and gently brush your lips against hers."

"But my teacher said that we have to pucker up and kiss each other or it won't look real."

"Well, brushing her lips gives it a real dramatic look to the scene. The next thing you do is slightly pucker your lips and kiss her."

"But I'm not sure if I can do that. Every time I try, I feel like I'm going to throw up," Little David sighed and David looked at Adam.

"Now that would be an interesting twist, Romeo puking on Juliet's shoes after kissing her."

"Blimey, Julie, have you been eating garlic squid again!" Adam asked and both Davids laughed.

"Yeah, I had that for lunch," David said.

"Phew, go gargle with some mouthwash then!"

"You brute, I will never kiss you again!"

"Good because I'd rather kiss a hog than you, Swamp Breath!" Adam said and Little David nearly fell off the couch from laughing. "Oi, who are you laughing at?"

"Uncle Alan has nothing over you two!" Little David said and Adam arched his eyebrow up.

"I'll tell him you said that," he said when someone knocked on the trailer door and they looked at the door.

"You're needed on the set, Sir," the voice said as David sighed and stood up.

"Guess I have to get back to work," he said as Adam nodded and David walked to the door. "I am invited to see your performance, right?"

"Yep!" Little David said when he got off the couch, ran to him then hugged him and David kissed the top of his head. Waving, David left the trailer as Little David looked at Adam and Adam stood up, walking to him. "Daddy…"

"I know," Adam said when he wrapped his arms around Little David and kissed the top of his head. "I want him to come with us, too."

"But he can't," Little David said and Adam nodded. Placing the sunglasses back on, Adam opened the door as they left the trailer and headed back to the TARDIS. David looked toward the wheezing sound as he sighed then smiled and walked toward where they were shooting the next scene.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this. My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss," Little David said while Billie looked at him and her long black hair was pulled up into a bun with little white flowers in it.

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this. For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss," Billie said as he held her hand and he lightly smiled at her.

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers, too?"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

"Well, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair. "

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake. "

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take," Little David said then paused, feeling his stomach doing soft flips. He glanced over at the audience when he saw Adam and David sitting next to each other and David softly nodded his head. Moving closer, Little David brushed his lips against Billie's soft lips after gently titling her head to the left and she smiled. He slightly puckered his lips when he kissed her and Billie held his head in her hands. They moved back as Adam gently nudged David and David nodded. "Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged. "

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took?"

"Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again," Little David said then kissed her again and gently brushed some hair behind her ear.

"You kiss by the book," Billie said as she looked into his eyes and Little David placed his forehead against hers.

The party after the play was held in the academy gymnasium as Adam and David stood near the punch table and David nodded when someone called him "Doctor". He didn't correct them as Adam nudged him and motioned with his head toward the door. They left the gymnasium when Adam opened the door and David walked inside the TARDIS. Little David stood near the console as Adam closed and locked the door and David walked to the jump seat, sitting down.

"So, did you like kissing her?" David asked and Little David's ears went pink.

"Ye-yeah," he said with a nod of his head.

"That's good," David said while the engines hummed around them and Adam leaned against the console.

"You really did a great job," Adam said and Little David smiled.

"I forgot that line in the second act," Little David said.

"No one noticed," David said and Adam nodded.

"I asked Billie if she wanted to go out for pizza on Friday. Is that ok?" Little David asked softly and Adam looked at David, who was smiling.

"Woo-hoo, someone's got a date!" David said and Little David blushed.

"Yeah, it's ok," Adam said when the TARDIS landed and David walked to the doors. Nodding, he opened the doors then walked outside and the doors closed behind him. Adam locked the doors then walked to the console when he looked at Little David and sighed. He knew that he would started dating at some point but the fact that his little boy was growing up made his hearts hurt.

"Daddy, you ok? You're crying," David said when Adam quickly wiped his eyes and shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You want to go get some ice cream?"

"Can we go to Goobler's?" David asked with wide eyes.

"Isn't that a little babyish?" he asked while David walked to him and leaned against his arm.

"Nuh-unh, I love Goobler's!" he said then looked up at him and smiled. "Don't worry, Daddy, I promise not to grow up too fast."

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

"It's in your eyes. Yeah, I like Billie but I still like other stuff, too. Don't worry, ok?" David asked and Adam nodded. They started moving around the console while setting the coordinance when Adam looked at David and pointed at the main lever, nodding his head. David pulled the main lever down as the engines hummed around them and Adam placed his arm around David's shoulder, smiling down at him.


	102. Chapter 102

Chapter One Hundred and Two

Namid and Sokanon were in awe as they approached Lady Gaga. It wasn't the first time they had met someone famous but this was the first time they met someone they were a huge fan of. When they finally were in front of her, their father introduced them.

"These are my daughters, Namid and Sokanon," he said to Lady Gaga. "I have a son and so does Alan but they're too busy watching Harry Potter to come out here and give you a proper greeting. Mi-mi, Sokanon, say hello."

His eyebrow rose when both of them greeted her shyly.

"Okay, like my wife said earlier, what is wrong with this picture?" he said while the other family members laughed. "You two have never been shy in your whole entire lives and now suddenly you can't speak above a whisper."

"It's Lady Gaga, Daddy," Namid said.

"And? She isn't gonna bite ya," the Doctor said with amusement.

"Yeah, I'm harmless, for the most part anyway," Gaga said with a wink.

"You gotta go hide now?" Namid said sadly. "You can't sing anymore?"

"Um…well, that's what we're trying to figure out," the Doctor said to her. "We're trying to find a way for her to keep on singing."

"Yeah, especially since I'm not about to let that scum ruin my singing career," Gaga said, folding her arms over her chest.

"You couldn't sing on your own planet?" Sokanon said.

"I could as long as I sang songs glorifying our benevolent leader, His Supreme High Lordship Gavrot Lamarck," Gaga said sarcastically. "No thank you, I wasn't about to be the puppet of that…idiot. I like Earth. Humans have been wonderful to me and they've embraced me and my songs. I don't wanna go back. I'd rather stay here."

"And there's the rub," the Doctor said to her. "If you wanna stay here we have to find a way to get rid of the Geordies. They're warlike and they'll blow up the Earth if they want you badly enough. I can't have that. Now unlike the Sontarans, war isn't their one all-consuming passion so perhaps we can find a way to reason with them. Course they might want something in exchange…"

"Yes, but if you're the one who does the talking, I'm sure they'll listen," Gaga pointed out.

"You like my daddy, don'tcha?" Sokanon asked her.

"Baby, your daddy has helped many people all over the universe. I grew up listening to legends about him and I know what he can do. If he can't stop Lamarck, no one can."

Sokanon felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see the Doctor was bent over, giving her a big toothy grin as he nodded in agreement.

"P'eh, you're just plain old daddy to me," Sokanon said, walking past him.

Rain snickered at the shocked look on her husband's face before he straightened out and composed himself.

"Yes, well, she's going to bed when we get home," he said as Sokanon stuck her tongue out at him and giggled. "And I believe home is the safest place for you now. You can have asylum on New Gallifrey while we straighten this mess out. In fact, you can apply for permanent asylum with our high council, that way you can take a breather from your fans down here since I know the paparazzi are brutal."

"I'll consider that," Gaga said. "But for the moment I'd just like somewhere where I can hide and rest and figure out what to do next. One thing I know, Lamarck has to be brought down. He's caused so much suffering among my people and it would be criminal to leave him in power even if he does leave me alone."

"I agree," the Doctor said. "Having said that, let me go fetch my son and nephew so we can leave before something else happens."

The Doctor steeled himself for the inevitable whines and groans and arguments about leaving the movie early as he headed for the cinema door. But to his relief, when he opened the doors he saw the credits rolling and the house lights coming up. He walked down to the boys who were getting up and gathering their uneaten popcorn and soda.

"Ready to go?" he asked them.

"Are we seeing the second part?" Christopher asked him.

"Not yet, we have to sort out the aliens."

Both boys groaned but the Doctor held up his hand.

"Don't start," he said sternly. "You both got to see a film uninterrupted which is more than the rest of us can say so I don't wanna hear it."

They stood up and followed him outside into the lobby.

Once the Doctor got his TARDIS back, he took it back to New Gallifrey while Alan took Daisy back to his house. Gaga rode with him, Jack, his wife and children, gaping in awe at the console room while the Doctor flew her. His children stood beside him, occasionally helping him and every once in awhile the Doctor caught his son stealing a glance at Gaga. Her bleach blonde hair was teased up, she was wearing the same skintight catsuit that she had worn in Namid's poster and she had heavy makeup on her face including purple eyeshadow that looked like it had been applied with a steamroller. The Doctor had to admit it was unflattering on her face, but then again he was used to the light makeup his wife used. Knowing what he knew now, he knew that the amount of makeup she used was the norm on Geordie where women were little more than sex toys for the warmongering men to use after they got back from battle. The tight outfits were also the norm and he guessed her sexually suggestive lyrics also reflected the sort of life she lived there. Even if things were normal, he would hope she would find a life somewhere else where she wouldn't be treated as an object.

Once they reached the house, Jack hurried home to alert Torchwood what was happening and seeing if he could get Xashon involved. To the Doctor's relief, Doc was home reading the newspaper when they came inside.

"Hey, great to see you, Namor and I…"

He trailed off when he saw Gaga.

"Isn't that Lady Gaga?" he said.

"Yes and we need to talk to you, we have a problem that needs to be solved," the Doctor said to him.

Meanwhile, at Alan's house, Rose was telepathically talking to Donna and several other people. Alan went to use the lavatory. He was angry beyond belief as he walked down the hallway to the bathroom. He was upset that the evening had been ruined, not for him but for the children, especially Sokanon and Namid who had their hearts set on seeing Lady Gaga. He hated that more often than not something seemed to happen every time they went out and just enjoyed themselves. He knew about the Geordie and even though they weren't as bad as Sontarans, the Sontarans being in a class by themselves when it came to making war, they were still a menace and the fact that they tailed one woman halfway across the universe and ruined her performance. He was still angry when he finished urinating, washed his hands and came back out of the lavatory. He grunted when he opened the door and ran into Rose.

"What's wrong? I can feel your rage," Rose said.

Alan sighed and explained why he was so upset. Rose nodded and gave him a sympathetic look as she took his hand.

"I feel the same way but on the other hand, this is what the children want to do with their lives. They want to help us fight evil and I don't think the children are as upset as you think they are. In fact, I think Namid and Sokanon are probably getting a thrill having Lady Gaga in their house. Beats seeing her up on a stage amidst a crowd of people, yeah?"

"Yeah, but still…I know they want to grow up and become Time Lords but all the same they need to be children and it seems like whenever we try to take them to something fun, something happens and they're dropped right in the middle of it."

"What do you want to do? Wrap them in blankets and stick them in the corner until they're twenty?" Rose said. "I know you love them, Alan, but look at who their father is, it's just the nature of the beast and I think they've accepted it just like our children accepted that we're also gonna get attacked due to guilt by association. Just calm down, yeah? I doubt if we take them with us when we leave out of here. They'll probably go over and stay with John's group or Mum and Dad's house until we get back. Besides, I'm sure the children will look at this as just a good excuse to go out again and go see the film all over again. Lord knows we'll have to take Namid and Sokanon to see it again before we go see part two. And you, of course, you missed it and I missed it. Chris and Chaska are the only ones who got to see it straight through. I'm betting if you ask them, they won't be that upset."

"Upset about what?" Christopher said, coming up behind Alan.

Alan put his arm around him and explained what they were talking about. Christopher shrugged.

"It's okay, Daddy. I'm used to bad people showing up. We can have fun later," he said to him. "Don't be upset, okay?"

Alan nodded and smiled and gave him a hug.

"I'm glad you're not angry," he said as Rose smiled at them both.

"Nah, I got to see the film and I understand why we had to come back home. I don't like Lady Gaga but I'm glad she's safe," he said. "I just hope she doesn't sing to me because I really will run away."

Alan chuckled and gave him another hug and a kiss.

"You wanna go over to Uncle Adam and hang out with David while we fix this problem?"

Christopher nodded.

"Come on then. We'll see if Chaska wants to go over there as well," he said as he put his arm around his son's shoulders and all of them headed for his front door.


	103. Chapter 103

Chapter One Hundred Three

"_There will come a time when the child will stop growing and the child will no longer need childish things. The child will then no longer see what is and no longer will the child need help." _was what M'Yari had told Frazer when he was a child and he still didn't know what the hell she was talking about.

"It makes no sense," he sighed while walking down the path and looked at the people going by. The zoo was crowded for a Saturday afternoon while people looked at the unicorns, winged horses and other mystical, magical and mythological creatures and he leaned on the wall, looking at the winged horses grazing on the grass.

"Pa-pa, look, winged horses!" a tiny voice shouted as Frazer stood up and watched the four year old little girl nearly drag her father toward him. He would laugh but the stick the man carried clattered to the ground and he ran to them, picking the stick off the ground.

"Zoe, dinnae pull your father like that!" he said to his four year old niece and she looked up at her father. It had only been a month since she, her father, mother and two month old sister had come to live on New Gallifrey and Frazer placed the stick in his half-brother's hand.

"I'm sorry, Pa-pa," she said softly as Hamish smiled and carefully knelt down in front of her.

"That's alright, Poppet," he said then hugged her and kissed her cheek. The one thing Frazer knew was Hamish never let being blind stop him from doing things and Hamish stood up, holding the stick in his hand. "So, where are these winged horses?"

"This way," Frazer said when he took Hamish's hand and they walked to the wall. Like he used to do with Namid when she was blind, he showed Hamish what the winged horses looked like and Hamish blinked.

"_You ok?" _Frazer thought as he set up a privacy block and Hamish nodded. Jamie had taught Hamish how to talk telepathically and he closed his eyes.

"_Aye, but I'm still nae sure if what I am looking at is real," _Hamish thought and Frazer nodded.

"Hey, no fair talking in your heads, it's rude!" Zoe said as they looked down at her and she pouted, sticking her lower lip out.

"Sorry!" Frazer said with wide eyes and she giggled. "Where is Lucy?"

"She's home with the bairn," Hamish said.

"Moira has an ill tummy. She got sick all over Pa-pa this morning," Zoe said and Hamish's eyes went wide.

"You had tae tell him that, did you?" he asked and Zoe nodded her head.

"Is Martha or Grace going tae come over then?" Frazer asked.

"Aye," Hamish said with a nod of his head then felt Zoe tugged on his hand. "Now where do you want tae go?"

"I want tae go over there," she said as she gently pulled Hamish along the path and Frazer smiled, walking after them.

"Hey, you want tae see the Loch Ness Monster?" he asked when Zoe stopped and her eyes went wide.

"Nessy is real?" she asked.

"No, Nessy is nae real," Hamish said, giving Frazer a look and he smiled.

"How much do you want tae bet?" he asked and Hamish sighed, rolling his eyes.

"There is…" Hamish said when a loud bellowing sound filled the air and he pulled Zoe behind him, holding the stick in his hands. "What was that?"

"That, Brother, was the Loch Ness Monster!" Frazer said and Zoe peeked out from behind Hamish.

"It was?" she asked.

"Come an' find out!" he said, holding his hand out and she took his hand. Shrugging, Hamish took her other hand as they walked down the path and the stick softly ticked on the cobblestones.

"Groo-wah!" Loch bellowed while they walked toward the large tank and Loch sat on the large island at the center of the tank. People walked on the walkway around the tank as they talked, pointed or took pictures of Loch and several children waved at Loch. DO NOT FEED! was on the signs around the tank but several people tossed popcorn at Loch and the popcorn floated on the surface of the water.

"Oi, cannae you read?" Frazer shouted as he pointed at the signs but the people just walked away and he sighed.

"Is that the monster?" Zoe asked as she looked through the slats in the railing and Frazer smiled down at her.

"Aye, but we just call him "Loch"," Frazer said when Loch looked toward the sound of his voice and slid off the island, slipping silently into the water.

"Where did he go?" she asked as Frazer looked at the water and saw the large shadow moving toward them.

"Um, I think we need tae back up," he said then carefully moved Hamish back and Loch's head slowly rose up and over the railing. The water dripped onto the walkway as Zoe's mouth fell open and Frazer was afraid that she was either going to cry or scream.

"Oorgh?" Loch said as it titled its head to one side and Frazer picked Zoe up, holding her in his arms. Loch had a smooth black skin, black eyes, a slit for a mouth and two slits for a nose. The long tail swished the water while four large flippers moved back and forth and its hump rose slightly out of the water.

"Cha...Cha…" Frazer said when Loch slowly lowered its head and blinked. Zoe reached up when she touched the wet nose and Loch raised its head.

"He's really soft," she said softly then looked back at Hamish and moved her lips to Frazer's ear. "Show Pa-pa what he looks like."

Closing his eyes, Frazer showed Hamish what Loch looked like and Hamish slowly walked toward the railing, reaching out with his hand. Loch looked at him when it moved its head closer and Hamish patted the soft skin.

"What is it?" Hamish asked.

"We thought it might be a kelpie but he's too big. He might be a water horse," Frazer said when Loch dipped under the water and Zoe looked at him. "He'll be right back. He has to breath water as well as air."

"Oh," she said as Loch came back up and looked at them.

"Where did you find him?" Hamish asked and Frazer told him about their trip to Loch Ness. "Your godmother is a fey?"

Frazer could hear the angry in Hamish's voice as he nodded and sighed. Hamish's youngest sister, Mary, was taking by the fey in his universe and Frazer knew that Jamie didn't trust M'Yari.

"It wasnae my idea," Frazer said with a grin but Hamish balled his hand into a fist and Frazer puffed some air out of his cheeks. "Look, she isnae that bad, really."

"Why dinnae I believe you?"

"It doesnae matter if you do or you dinnae. She is an' there is little I can do aboot it," Frazer said and Hamish nodded. "Anyway, want tae go for a swim?"

"Eh?" Hamish asked, looking confused.

"Do you want tae go for a swim with Loch?"

"Can we?" Zoe asked, looking at Hamish.

"I cannae swim," Hamish said.

"Well, it's more like going for a ride," Frazer said and Zoe gave Hamish a sad puppy look. Frazer showed Hamish what she was doing and Hamish sighed, looking at Loch.

"Please, Pa-pa?" she asked and Hamish thought for a few minutes then rolled his eyes.

"Well, as long as he doesnae go under water," Hamish said and Zoe cheered.

"Right, this way," Frazer said while leading them along the walkway and they headed for the platform.

"That is the last time I listen tae you!" Hamish's voice said as the door opened and he, Zoe and Frazer came inside the house and were soaking wet.

"What happened to you three?" Jenna said as she came out of the kitchen and Zoe giggled, running to her.

"Pa-pa fell off Loch!" she said and Jenna looked at Frazer.

"What was he doing on Loch?"

"I took them for a swim with Loch an' he fell off," Frazer said with a shrug and Jenna glared at him.

"The beastie was going tae go under the water!" Hamish shouted.

"I told you tae activate your respiratory bypass system."

"I dinnae ken how tae do that yet," Hamish said as he tightened his grip on the stick and Jenna walked closer, standing between them.

"Right, before you two come to blows, tell me what happened," she said and Frazer sighed.

"Fine, I took Hamish an' Zoe tae the platform an' we got onto Loch's back. He started moving around the tank an' Hamish seemed tae be having fun," Frazer said and Hamish sighed.

"I was having fun," Hamish said.

"Then Loch started tae go under the water. I told him nae tae do that but he has a one track mind. So, I told Hamish tae use his respiratory bypass system but he panicked an' fell off of him."

"I CANNAE SWIM!" Hamish shouted.

"I ken that but you didnae have tae pull me into the water with you!"

"I panicked!" Hamish shouted and Jenna sighed, rolling her eyes.

"And how did you get wet?" Jenna asked, looking at Zoe.

"They splashed me when they fell into the water. Loch made this grumble noise an' scooped them back onto his back with his tail," Zoe said with a smile.

"Ah, well why don't you three go get dried off? I just put some of your dad's clothes in the wardrobe and you can put one of my t-shirts on Zoe until I can get your clothes dry," Jenna said as they nodded and headed for the stairs. Watching them go up the stairs, Jenna shook her head then walked to the door and went into the garage to tell Jamie what was going on.

"I still can't believe you did that," Angel said after Frazer told her what happened and he smiled, rolling onto his back. The dim light from the window made it a little hard to see her as he moved closer and kissed her lips.

"Hey, he pulled me in, I didnae push him," Frazer said, wagging a finger at her.

"Still, he could have gotten hurt. Or Zoe might have," she said and Frazer sighed, nodding his head.

"That's what my dad said. Anyway, everyone's ok an' I promised tae never do that again."

"Good," she said when a blue light fluttered under the bathroom door and Frazer sat up, looking at it. "What's going on?"

"I dinnae ken," he said, tossing the duvet back and got out of bed. "Stay there."

"Frazer?" she asked as he hushed her then took the sonic screwdriver off the dresser and headed for the door. She sat up as he looked at the door and pointed the sonic screwdriver at it. The blue light moved back and forth under the door when he placed his hand on the door, gently pushing it open. Suddenly a bright blue light filled the room as they screamed and something grabbed hold of Frazer, pulling him to the bathroom and the door closed behind him.


	104. Chapter 104

Chapter One Hundred and Four

"Here," Rose said as she handed Angel a cup of tea and sat on the couch next to her. Alan and the Doctor were upstairs, scanning the bathroom for any signs of where Frazer had vanished, and Rose slid her arm around Angel's shoulder. The entire family was waken up after she had screamed inside her head and Rose rocked Angel, sending love into her mind.

"Where is he?" Angel said softly and Rose kissed the top of her head. Alexander was sent to stay with Donald and Zoe and Jamie sat on the other couch, sipping on the whiskey that Rose had given him a few minutes ago. Jenna stayed with the kids and Rose got off the couch, kneeling down at Jamie's knee.

"Jamie?" she asked as he looked at her and she saw that his soft hazel eyes were now jet black. She had never seen him angry before as she rubbed her hand along of the back of his hand and he blinked, gently smiling at her. "The Doctor will find him."

Jamie nodded as she took his hand and he wrapped his fingers around hers.

"Starlight, can you come up here?" Alan's voice asked as she looked at the stairs, got up and walked to the stairs. Alan stood at the top of the stairs as he hitched up the jogging pants he has been sleeping in and he wiped the sleep out of his eyes. Normally turned on from seeing the dark hairs on his chest, Rose knew that he was just as worried about what happened to Frazer and she half ran up the stairs.

"What did you find?" she asked softly as he took her by the elbow and led her down the hallway. They walked into the bedroom while the Doctor stood near the bathroom door and placed the sonic screwdriver in his pocket. "Well?"

"We scanned the entire room and there are high traces of some sort of energy," the Doctor said as he ran his fingers through his hair and it stuck up on the top of his head.

"Do you think it was some sort of transportation device?" Alan asked.

"Not sure."

"I'll go call Xashion and see if there are any unauthorized space vessels in the area," Rose said when she left the room and Alan looked at the Doctor.

"Now what?" he asked and the Doctor sighed, looking at his feet.

"I have no idea," he said then looked at the door to the bathroom.

Moaning, Frazer slowly opened his eyes when he felt his stomach lurching as he rolled onto his knees and emptied his stomach onto the cold stone floor. Sitting against the wall, he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand when he saw the sunlight coming from the small window above him and saw the cold gray stones of the walls, floor and ceiling. A large wooden door sat to his right as he slowly inched his way up the stone wall and half limped toward the door. His left foot hurt as he sighed and gently put some weight on it.

"Good new, it's nae broken," he said then looked at the door. "Bad news is you're stuck in a cell without your sonic screwdriver."

He then noticed that he was been stripped of his pajamas and was wearing only a pair of buck skin trousers and he sighed, pounding on the door.

"Oi, open the door!" he shouted then waited for an answer and sighed. "Come on, it's cold in here!"

The sound of the bolt sliding back made him move back from the door when the door slowly opened and he looked into a pair of ice blue, cat shaped eyes. The pointed ears stuck out from under the long white hair and the tips of the ears twitched slightly. The figure was tall with a flawless, muscular body and the long fingers were wrapped around the hilt of the sword in the sheath on his right hip.

"Move," the fey guard said as he waved his hand for Frazer to back up and he moved back, allowing the fey guard to enter the cell.

"Speak thy name, I command you," Frazer said with a stern tone to his voice and the fey guard smiled at him.

"You think you can command me, H'mari?" the fey guard asked, arching his eyebrow. H'mari was fey for "human" and Frazer growled, balling his hands into fists.

"Mi uralli ke M'Yari," Frazer shouted in fey as the fey guard backed up and drew the sword from the sheath, pointing the blade toward him. Uralli was fey for "godmother" and Frazer smiled, folding his arms across his bare chest. "Ah, I see you understood that."

"Y-you are the ba'corlu?" the fey guard asked. Ba'corlu was fey for "godchild" and Frazer nodded.

"Now, unless you want mi uralli really pissed off at you, you will back up and let me go on my way."

With a nod and a bow, the fey guard backed away while Frazer walked to him and took the sword out of the fey guard's hand. Pushing him to the floor, Frazer stormed out of the cell then slammed the door and locked it. Holding the hilt of the sword tightly in his hand, he walked down the hallway and his hearts slammed hard in his chest.

'Ok, Godmother, enough is enough! You an' I are going tae have a little talk an', believe me, it's nae going to be aboot the weather!" he growled then went around the corner and his eyes turned jet black.

"I told you tae back away, Doctor!" Jamie shouted while the Doctor stood in front of Jamie's TARDIS and crossed his arms over his chest.

"And I told you that I will not allow you to go off half cocked," the Doctor said, pointing his finger at him.

"I dinnae have tae listen tae you! You're nae my Doctor!"

"But I am!" Duer said when he walked into the garage and Jamie glared at him.

"Tell him tae get out of the way before I…" Jamie said when Duer walked to him and placed his hands on Jamie's shoulders.

"Jamie, calm down before you say something you're going to regret," Duer said softly as Jamie sighed then looked at the Doctor.

"Doctor, I'm…" Jamie said but the Doctor held up his hand and nodded.

"I fully understand how you feel," the Doctor said with a small smile.

"Is there any word from Xashion?" Duer asked.

"Yep, no sign of any unauthorized space vessels, cloaked or otherwise, in the area."

"Could it have been a void manipulator?"

"No, the energy signature is all wrong."

"Could it have been a being that could teleport?"

"No, it wasn't a biological signature either."

"Could it have been magical?" Jamie asked and they looked at him.

"Yep," the Doctor said, nodding his head.

"Then it finally happened," Jamie sighed and leaned against the TARDIS. "She's taken him."

"Are you talking about M'Yari?" Duer asked and Jamie nodded, gently pounding his fist on the wood.

"Sorry," Jamie said when the TARDIS growled and he stroked the wood.

"Has she ever hinted that she wanted to take Frazer?" the Doctor asked.

"Aye, that's why his house has those runes. It is to protect them from her."

"I remember Alan telling me that Frazer wanted to place runes around his house and Lizzie's house."

"Did they allow him to do that?" Duer asked.

"Yep," the Doctor said, popping the "p".

"He also placed runes around mine, his brothers and sister's houses. He didnae put them around either of yours because he knew she wouldnae come after you," Jamie said as the Doctor walked to him and cupped the back of Jamie's neck in his hand, making him look at him.

"We'll get him back," he said softly and Jamie nodded, sighing.

"But I am going with you."

"So are we!" Angus' voice said as they turned and looked at Frankie, Cam, Jenna, Angel, Alexander, Angus, Robert, Ian, Conner, Victoria, Donald, Zoe and Hamish standing in the garage doorway.

"_Where is the rest of the clan?" _Jamie thought to Jenna.

"_Someone has to stay home with the wee ones, Highland!" _she thought and he nodded.

"Ooo, M'Yari is in real trouble now!" Duer said when he walked to Frankie then turned, looking at the Doctor.

"Right," the Doctor said, opening the doors to Jamie's TARDIS and did a little bow. "Allons-y!"

The sound of water dripped down the walls floated around him while Frazer walked by the torches and his shadow flickered with the others on the walls. His hearts slammed hard against his chest as he tried to calm his mind and his knuckles grew white from holding the handle of the sword. Walking up the curved stairwell, he looked around the corner then walked into the hallway and the carpeting tickled his bare feet. Tapestries and portraits hung on the walls as he walked by the elegantly carved furniture and potted plants in ivory pots and crystal chandeliers hung on the ceiling by gold chains. Walking slowly, he looked around the corner when he headed down the hallway and shivered from the cold air blowing through the hallway from the windows. He looked out of the window when he saw the snow capped mountains spreading out around him and he sighed, feeling the cold air swirling around inside his lungs.

"Great, just great," he said softly and leaned the sword against the wall. He had come to M'Yari's castle when his biological father brought him to the castle three weeks before his biological parents were killed and he remembered how excited he was, being in a fey castle. "Nae so excited now, are you?"

Shaking his head, he picked up the sword then headed down the hallway and growled. He stopped when he stood in front of large ivory doors and blinked. Stepping back a few feet, he ran at the doors when he grunted and a loud thud echoed down the hallway. Sliding down the door, he felt his right arm going numb and the sword fell to the floor as he went onto his left side.

"Oh, that was stupid, M'Boyo," he said softly when the door opened and he looked up at the figure standing over him. Her long white hair was draped over her shoulders as her crystal green eyes shimmered in the torchlight and the wooden staff made from sacred ash shimmered in a blue light. She was wearing a halter made of gold and a white lace skirt was wrapped around her waist. She knelt down onto her knees when she softly smiled and brushed the air from his eyes.

"I thought I heard a little mouse in my hallway,' M'Yari said then looked into the room and stood up. "Bring him!"

Frazer tried to sit up when a large ogre lumbered out of the room and looked down at him. The ogre had tick green skin, covered with small warts, and two yellow eyes glared at him. The thick black hair hung over the large muscular shoulders and two yellowing tusks stuck out from the bottom of the thin lips. Grunting, the ogre lifted Frazer off the floor when it walked back into the room and M'Yari smiled, closing the door behind her when she went back into the room.


	105. Chapter 105

Chapter One Hundred and Five

After Gaga was shown around the Doctor's house, she sat down while the Doctor went to get her a cup of tea and speak to Jack. While he was doing that, Namid and Sokanon sat down next to her and smiled at her. Gaga smiled in return.

"Did you enjoy the show before the Geordie attacked?" she asked.

"Yes, I had fun," Namid said while Sokanon nodded in agreement. "I like your songs, 'cept Daddy thinks some of the lyrics are a bit old for us."

"I agree actually. My lyrics are a bit adult but I came from a very adult world," she said as Alan came up beside her.

"I know about Geordie and you're not kidding," he said to her. "All those outfits you wear, a lot of that kit is normal wear there? I know women are second class citizens and sex objects."

"Yeah but on Earth, I'm using those outfits to empower myself and rebel against all that degrading mindset. That's why I love Earth. I love that a lot of Earth women are independent and free thinking and know what they want. They've helped me come to terms with my past and move on from that repression."

"And you're really a lady?" Alan said with a grin.

"Yeah but on Geordie that doesn't mean anything if you're a woman. You still get treated like crap. My family wanted a boy and they resented me. I don't miss them, that's for sure. No, I'm better off where I am."

"Except we have to find a way to get the Geordies off your back," the Doctor said as he came into the room and gave her a cup of tea.

While he was doing that, Jack opened the front door and walked in with Torchwood.

"Better get drinks ready cause here comes the neighborhood," Jack said, hooking his thumb back out the door.

The Doctor groaned.

"Everyone?" he said as Gaga gave him a confused look.

"Um, not so far, but the Estrogen Brigade is coming and Awinita is in the lead," he said as he leaned against the doorway.

"Oh boy, battle stations!" Alan said as he leapt up and ran to the door.

Jack chuckled when he ran out the door.

"No, please no autographs! Lady Gaga is knackered!" they heard him saying.

"Out of our way, weirdo!" they heard Awinita said.

Alan walked back inside.

"Sorry, mate, they twisted my arm, I couldn't stop em," he said, hooking his thumb back at the door. "But so far, it's only a small contingent and not the army we call our family."

Awinita peeked inside.

"Contrary to what Bro is saying, we're not gonna assault Lady Gaga, us women were having a hen party when we heard she was here and we wanted to meet her."

Nelak stuck her head in behind her.

"And believe me, they ran hell for leather over here to meet her," he said.

"And you got caught in the middle of this hen party?" Jack said to Nelak.

"With a bunch of gorgeous women, who's to complain?" Nelak said.

He and Awinita came inside followed by Emi, Tara, Tia, Angel, Elizabeth, Grace, Dorothy, Jenny, Amber, Madison and Donna.

"Yup, here's the Estrogen Brigade," Jack said, shutting the door.

"If you don't shut your gob, I'll emasculate you and you'll become one of the Estrogen Brigade," Donna said to him.

Jack coughed nervously, his hand fluttering to his crotch as he backed up. Gaga stood up as the women and Nelak walked towards her. The Doctor introduced them and they shook hands with her.

"Xashon's on her way over," Martha said to the Doctor. "We explained the situation as best we could."

"Good. But we still need to find a solution to all of this. We just can't let the Geordies menace Earth whenever they want. Lamarck has to be stopped."

Alan ran up to him.

"Ooo, does that mean we get to overthrow a dictatorship again?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes!" the Doctor said, mimicking his excitement.

Sokanon ran up to them.

"Yay!" she said, thrusting her arms into the air, "we get to overthrow a dictatorship."

The Doctor stared at her. He bent down and stared into her eyes while she giggled.

"Brother?" he said.

Alan bent down with him.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Am I going bonkers or does this one have delusions that she's going with us?" he said, staring into his giggling daughter's eyes.

"I think she's having delusions," Alan said.

"I wanna help," Sokanon said.

She giggled when they stared at her quietly.

"She wants to help, what do we do?" Alan whispered to the Doctor.

"I think we should put her to sleep and put her on the sofa while we leave quietly," the Doctor replied.

"I wanna help!" Sokanon insisted.

The Doctor sighed and gave her a "Surely, you're kidding," look.

"You know as well as I what the answer is, young lady," the Doctor said to her.

"I wanna help!" Sokanon said.

The Doctor scratched his chin and smiled.

"Stay here and keep Gaga company?" he said to her.

Sokanon looked back at Gaga. Gaga smiled and waved at her. Sokanon smiled and nodded.

"Good, thank you," the Doctor said, patting her on the head.

"We don't get to put her to sleep and put her in funny positions?" Alan said with a mournful look.

"Nope, we'll let her be…this time," the Doctor said. "As for the rest of you who are over the age of ten, you're welcome to come with us."

He looked over at the front door when he heard someone knocking.

"And that'll be Xashon, I'm betting," he said, heading towards it.


	106. Chapter 106

Chapter One Hundred Six

Frazer grunted when the ogre dropped him to the floor near the bed and M'Yari walked to him, her hips swaying while she walked. Kneeling down, she helped Frazer sit up when she moved her hand along his arm and he hissed, clutching his arm to his side.

"You have dislocated your shoulder," she said breathlessly and he looked at the floor.

"Aye, but I'll live. Now, take me home an' we'll forget this ever happened," he said as he tried to stand up but the ogre pushed him back down, causing him to scream in pain.

"No!" M'Yari shouted as she stood up and her eyes crackled in a white light. The ogre grumbled as it backed up and she bent down, slid her arms under Frazer then stood up, placing him on the bed. "Leave us!"

The ogre grumbled then bowed as it headed for the door and the door slam vibrated around the room. Frazer looked at the white walls, the gold ceiling and remembered how soft the white carpeting felt against his skin. The rest of the furniture was a white wood, tapestries of naked fey in compromising positions hung on the walls and several potted plants sat in ivory planters against the walls. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling on silver chains and the light from the chandeliers showered the room in a rainbow of colors. The large bed sat at the center of the room and a golden canopy was draped over the top of the bed. Golden sheets were under a large white duvet and white silk pillow covers shimmered in the light from the chandeliers.

"This is…nice," he said as she nodded and sat on the bed, moving toward him. She crawled almost cat like toward him as he scooted across the bed, got up and held his throbbing arm against his body. "Uh, no, there will be none of that."

"But, My Love, you have no other choice," she said as she sat on her knees and he titled his head to one side. "You are mine!"

The Doctor looked at the scanner while Jamie stood next to him and linked his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans. Duer had taken the others into the living room while the Doctor checked the screens and Jamie thought before he said anything to him. He did feel guilty about shouting at him and the Doctor seemed to sense what he was thinking and smiled at him.

"Jamie, it's alright, I am not mad at you," he said and Jamie nodded.

"Aye, I ken that, but you have tae understand where I am coming from," Jamie said with a sigh.

"I do understand."

"No, I really dinnae think you do, Doctor. You have had your bairn taken before but you were able tae get them back. Even when the Master took Zoe an' Donald, I ken that you would make sure that they would come home again. But you never had your bairn taken in the middle of the night then changed into something else. My Mary, she loved tae sit an' watch the fey lights. I would sit just inside the doorway an' watch her chat with the tiny lights an' her giggle would light up the night. She would always come inside afterwards an' told me what they were talking aboot. That morning, that damned morning, when I woke tae find the door open an' her nae in her bed made my heart freeze in my chest. I had every neighbor looking in the woods for her. We spent nights combing the woods for a sign of her. Hamish nearly broke his ankles three times, tripping over rocks as he climbed them in hope of finding her. I couldnae sleep an' eating was a joke. That night I heard her giggle on the wind, I nearly broke my fool neck running into the woods. They were there, dancing in the moonlight, an' she flew to me, landing in the palm of my hand. This wee thing, no bigger than a butterfly, looked up with me with these eyes that had no idea who I was. If I had the guts, I would have folded my fingers an' squashed the life out of her. I couldnae do that. I couldnae kill my wee girl! She just flew away an' I never saw her again. Now, now my son is in the hands of the fey an' who knows what that monster is doing tae him," Jamie said while the tears rolled down his face and the Doctor nodded.

"You are right. I have no idea what that's like. But, if you let me, I think I know someone who will put a stop to this once and for all," the Doctor said when they felt a slight bump and he smiled.

"Where are we?" Jamie asked, wiping his eyes with his hands.

"Come and see!' the Doctor said as he headed for the doors and Jamie looked toward the hallway.

"Should we tell the others?"

"No," the Doctor said, shaking his head. Opening the doors, they walked out onto a courtyard of lush green grass, a wide variety of trees and the bushes were carved in the shape of animals. Statues of fey males and females lined the pathway as they walked by them and Jamie noticed that some of the statues looked frightened of something. At the center of the pathway was a gazebo made of white wood and someone was lounging on two white marble lounges.

"Who are they?" Jamie whispered.

"They are the ones we are here to meet," the Doctor whispered as they walked up the steps and the Doctor did a little bow. "Your Highnesses, it is a pleasure."

The figure lying on the lounge to the left was a tall fey woman. She was thin and muscular with long blue hair that cascaded down her back, her elegant pointed ears sticking out from under her hair. She also had orange eyes and slender hands with long fingers.

Her face and body was flawless and she was absolutely stunning. Her long sleeve dress was a dark blue silk, cut low in the front, and her shoes were sparkling silver. Her cape was made of white fur and just touched the floor while gold crown sat neatly on her head.

The figure lying on the lounge on the right was a tall fey male. He was thin and muscular with long white hair and his elegantly pointed ears stuck out from under his hair. His yellow eyes glanced at them from under heavy lids and his long fingers clenched into tight fists. Like the female, His body was flawless and he was strikingly handsome. A pair of curved horns wrapped around his ears while a gold crown sat on his head and tiny bells hung from the tips of the horn. His white linen shirt showed the muscles of his chest as the sleeves of his shirt rippled in the wind and the sunlight sparkled on his black boots. Tight grey trousers completed his outfit and he sat up, folding his legs toward his chest.

"Who are you, Sir?" the male asked.

"Husband, we must surely recognize the Doctor," the female said and the male blinked.

"This is not the Doctor," he said as the female stood and the cape folded neatly around her. She seemed to glide as she headed toward the Doctor and Jamie and she smiled at them.

"The face as changed but the power roll off him like waves to the shore," the female said then looked at Jamie. "And he has brought his young friend."

"_Doctor, she thinks I'm your Jamie," _Jamie thought.

"_Yeah, sorry about that," _the Doctor thought.

"It has been a long time, Majesty," the Doctor said with a nod of his head and she smiled at him.

"What brings you here, Friend?" she asked and he looked at Jamie.

"I asked him to bring me here, Majesty," Jamie said with a bow and she walked to him. Lifting his chin with her finger, Great Queen Titania of the fey looked into his eyes and stroked his chin.

"Your heart…uh…hearts?" she asked then looked at the Doctor. "He is like you now."

"Aye, I am," Jamie said with a nod of his head and she placed her hand at the center of his chest, feeling the rapid beats of his hearts.

"Hush now. There is no need to cry," she said as he felt his hearts slowing down and breathed in deeply then breathed out. "There, that's better. Now, tell us what is wrong?"

"It is my son, Great Lady, someone has taken him," Jamie said and she nodded, tapping her long fingers against his chest.

"Who has taken him?" Great King Oberon of the fey asked as he stood up and walked to them. Jamie slightly smiled as the tiny bells jingled and swung back and forth on the horns and Great King Oberon smiled back. "Yes, we know, they do make a great deal of noise."

"My son was taken by his godmother. She, like you, is a fey an' I fear that she means to harm him," Jamie said then gave a quick explanation about Frazer and M'Yari and winced when Great Queen Titania dug her long nails into his chest.

"Friend Doctor, we know of the fey called "M'Yari"," she said and they heard the distant sound of thunder echoing around them.

"Who is she?" the Doctor asked.

"With great shame, we must admit that she is our sister," Great King Oberon said softly and looked at the ground. "We had banished her to the mountains with the hope that she would mend her ways but it appears that we were mistaken."

"She seemed rather nice to me the couple of times that we met."

"That is only when the mood strikes her."

"Doctor, she did something tae those men that had captured an' abused that unicorn," Jamie said and the Doctor nodded.

"She would have killed them. That is what she does when someone abuses her pets," Great Queen Titania said with a sigh.

"But what she gave him was a gift," the Doctor said and Great King Oberon nodded.

'That is what she tells those that do something for her, but there is always a price for the gift," Great King Oberon said, shaking his head and the bells jingled back and forth.

"What sort of price?" Jamie asked.

"It depends on what she wants."

"And what is it she wants?" the Doctor asked.

"We do not know."

"Then mebbe you can tell us what her riddle means," Jamie said and Great Queen Titania titled her head to one side.

"What is this riddle?" Great Queen Titania asked.

"There will come a time when the child will stop growing an' the child will no longer need childish things. The child will then no longer see what is and no longer will the child need help," Jamie said and she lowered her head, thinking for a few seconds.

"Is your child like you?" she asked.

"Is my son a Time Lord?" Jamie asked and she nodded. "Aye, he is."

"That is what the first part is about. Our sister had the sight and could see the past, present and the future. She knew what he was to become," Great King Oberon said.

"That makes sense. In a way, he has stopped growing now that he is a Time Lord," the Doctor said.

"The second part talks of him growing up, becoming a responsible adult," Great Queen Titania said and Jamie smiled.

"Calling my son responsible is a bit of a stretch," he said then softly laughed.

"What about the last part?" the Doctor asked.

"That we do not know," Great King Oberon said then looked at Jamie. "What is your son's name?"

"His name is Frazer," Jamie said and Great King Oberon and Great Queen Titania's eyes went wide.

"Then you must mourn for your child, Friend Jamie, he is never returning," Great Queen Titania said, stroking his hair.

"What are you talking about?" the Doctor asked and Great King Oberon sighed.

"The last part means that he will never see the world outside this land again and he will need no help because he will serve her now," Great King Oberon said.

"No, my son isnae going tae be her slave!" Jamie shouted and Great Queen Titania hushed him.

"He is not her slave," she said with sadness in her eyes. "He is going to be her husband."


	107. Chapter 107

Chapter One Hundred and Seven

The Doctor opened the door and smiled at Xashon.

"As always, it's an honor having you in our home," he said.

"Will you stop that, you don't have to be so formal. For Rassilon's sake, you're older than I am and you knew me when I was a child," Xashon said.

"Yes, but you're the president and I'm showing you the respect you deserve."

He chuckled when Xashon gave him a wry look.

"Sometimes I wonder if this so-called respect is your way of taking the mickey out of me," she said as she stepped inside and the Doctor closed the door. "Especially since I know all too well you had no love for the government on old Gallifrey. Now where is Lady Gaga?"

Gaga stepped away from the children and bowed when she reached Xashon.

"Pleasure to meet you," Xashon said. "Your music is quite popular here on New Gallifrey. I can't tell you how many times I had to close my window at night because youngsters were blasting Bad Romance out of their boom box at three in the morning. Not to mention…"

The Doctor giggled as Xashon thrust her finger directly at Alan.

"What? I thought you liked my rendition of Paparazzi," Alan said as everyone laughed.

"Jack told you that you might want asylum. I'm warning you now, if you come here to live, you'll have top put up with him," she said, pointing to Alan.

Alan's mouth dropped open as everyone laughed. Xashon winked at him. She walked over to the sofa and accepted a cup of tea that Rain gave her.

"Thank you," she said to Rain as everyone came in close. "I came over here because I have some news to report. "The Geordies are already here. They figured out who you were, Doctor, and came to New Gallifrey to demand the return of Lady Gaga."

"Over my dead body," Gaga snarled. "You tell those creeps to go back where they came from."

"Let me guess, Xashon, I have to put in an appearance in the council chambers before all hell breaks loose," the Doctor said.

"You guessed correctly."

"Yay, we're gonna go talk to the bad people!"

Alan laughed when the Doctor shot Sokanon an exasperated look.

"Just kidding, Daddy," Sokanon said, patting him on the leg.

"They act more and more like you with each passing day," Xashon teased as she tousled Sokanon's hair.

"Yes, that's what worries me," the Doctor said as Sokanon giggled. "Do you need anyone else to go?"

"Not unless they want to," Xashon said.

The Doctor grabbed Sokanon's hand when she started to raise it.

"Do you want me to put you into cryogenic storage, Miss Help Out Dad?" he said as everyone laughed.

"Can we at least come and see what's going on over there?" Namid asked as she came up beside her sister.

The Doctor looked at Xashon.

"How safe is it for them to be there?" he asked her.

"We can put him in the interrogation room and have them stand behind the false wall so they can observe," Xashon said.

"Please, Daddy, we'll be good," Sokanon said.

"Alright, you can come," the Doctor said.

"Then let me go too," Gaga said, standing up. "I want to hear what they have to say."

After everyone else left, Xashon led the Doctor, Rain, the children and Gaga back to the council chambers. While they walked, Gaga looked around at the houses and scenery.

"This is a beautiful place," she said to the Doctor.

"Yes, we think so. We came here centuries ago after discovering this planet and built a new civilization," the Doctor replied.

"I've heard legends that say you were the last of your kind," Gaga said.

"Yes, I was but not anymore," the Doctor said, gesturing around him. "I haven't been the last of my kind for centuries."

"And then Uncle Alan came along and he said nooo, I wanna be alone again!"

Everyone giggled as the Doctor eyed Sokanon who was walking along in front of him.

"You're lucky Alan isn't around to hear that because you would have been tickled to within an inch of your life by now," the Doctor said.

They reached the council chambers, a large rectangular breeze block building with four floors. They went inside and went up to the first floor where the interrogation rooms were located.


	108. Chapter 108

Chapter One Hundred Eight

"She wants Frazer to be her husband?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," Great King Oberon said, nodding his head.

"But he's already married,' Jamie said.

"It does not matter. To our sister, he is hers and she will marry him."

"We'll see aboot that!" Jamie said when he turned around and the Doctor placed his hand on Jamie's shoulder.

"Jamie," the Doctor said softly and Jamie sighed, nodding his head. The Doctor looked at Great King Oberon and Great Queen Titania and gently scratched the back of his neck. "Is there any way you can help us free him?"

"There is one way, but we fear the cost may be too severe," Great King Oberon said then started telling the Doctor what they needed to do.

"What do you mean that I'm yours?" Frazer asked while M'Yari smiled at him and stroked his hair.

"It is simple really. I am claiming my price for the gift I gave your father," she said as he got off the bed and held his arm against his side.

"Are you out of your bloody mind, eh? My biological father saved the life of one of your bloody pets!" he shouted and M'Yari smiled, twirling some of her hair on her finger.

"No one asked him to."

"Ah, so you would have preferred that it had died then?" he asked as she crawled across the bed and Frazer backed up, heading for the window.

"Where are you going?" she asked as she got off the bed and he reached behind him, opening the French doors. "You wouldn't!"

Frazer backed onto the balcony as he bumped into the railing and placed his hand on the top of the railing.

"Aye, I would," he said when he climbed onto the railing and held his arm against his side. His legs felt rubbery as he balanced himself and M'Yari slowly walked closer. "Stay away from me!"

"Fraz'let, please, I will not hurt you," she said while holding her arms out and he glared at her.

"MY NAME IS FRAZER MICHAEL MCCRIMMON!" Frazer shouted when he lost his balance and fell off the railing. M'Yari screamed as she ran to the railing but didn't see Frazer lying broken in the courtyard and growled. Turning, she stormed into the room then slammed the French doors shut and the glass shattered.

"Easy, Lad," Jamie said while Frazer's eyelids fluttered open and he looked up at Jamie.

"Dad?" he asked softly and Jamie gently stroked his hair.

"Aye, you gave us a real fright," Jamie said as Frazer smiled then remembered falling off the railing and sat up, hissing from the pain in his shoulder.

"Bloody hell!" he moaned and Jamie helped him lie down.

"Lay still, Young One," Great Queen Titania said softly as she knelt down next to the lounge that Frazer was lying on and he looked at her.

"My Lady," he said with a nod of his head and she smiled at him.

"Do you normally jump off railings?" she asked and he made a soft laugh, shaking his head.

"No, nae normally," he said and Jamie rolled his eyes.

"Her Highness was able tae nab you before you crashed tae ground," Jamie said and Frazer sighed, sticking his lower lip out.

"Am I in trouble?" Frazer asked.

"No," Jamie said with a grin and Great Queen Titania moved closer, brushing some hair from Frazer's eyes.

"Hold still," she whispered as she moved her hands over his body and Jamie kept a watchful eye on her. "Do not worry. We will not harm him."

"That's what she said," Frazer mumbled as Great Queen Titania nodded then softly placed her fingertips on his shoulder and he screamed.

"Frazer!" Jamie shouted while Great Queen Titania moved her hands away and Jamie stroked Frazer's hair. "What did you do to him?"

"We did nothing. His shoulder is dislocated," Great Queen Titania said and stroked the top of Frazer's hand.

"Dad," Frazer said with his eyes closed and his chest rose in fell as he breathed hard through his nose. "How did you get here?"

"The Doctor brought us here," Jamie said and Frazer half opened his eyes.

"Us?" Frazer asked when he heard a familiar grinding and wheezing sound and smiled. The TARDIS materialized while Great Queen Titania stood and the doors opened.

"Frazer!" Jenna shouted as she ran to the lounge and scooped Frazer into her arms, causing fresh waves of pain to roar up and down his arm.

"BLOODLY HELL!" he shouted as she moved him back and tears rolled freely down his cheeks.

"What happened to him?" Jenna asked as she rocked him and Frazer start to softly sob.

"His shoulder's dislocated," Jamie said as Frazer nodded and Jenna kissed the top of Frazer's head.

"Oh, Baby, Mommy's sorry," she said and Frazer groaned, closing his eyes. The Doctor came out of the TARDIS with a hover cart as Jenna slowly lifted Frazer off the lounge and slid him onto the hover cart. Frazer whimpered as she sent love and comfort into his mind and led the hover cart to the TARDIS, going inside.

"We will wait for your call, Doctor," Great Queen Titania said as he nodded then the Doctor and Jamie turned, walking toward the TARDIS. Great Queen Titania watched while the TARDIS dematerialized then sat down on the lounge and balled her hands into fists.

"You're touching my bad shoulder," Frazer grumbled while he opened his eyes and felt something lying on his chest.

"Sorry," Angel whispered then kissed his shoulder and he smiled. She moved her hand down his chest while his hearts thumped in her ear and he took a deep breathing, slowly letting it out.

"Are you made at me?"

"For getting kidnapped, no. For jumping of the railing, yes," she said and he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"I was trying tae get away from her."

"You can't fly and we didn't bring Cameron with us."

"Aye, but, and I dinnae want you tae be mad, I dinnae care."

"Lift your head," she said as he lifted his head and she removed the chain around his neck then tossed the chain across the room. He winced a bit after she slapped the back of his head then laid his head on the pillow and she kissed his chest. "You are a great, big, stupid dunce!"

"Aye, that's me," he said and she snuggled against him, placing her head on his chest. "I am serious, Pebbles, I jumped off that bloody railing because I'd rather die than spend my lives as her slave."

"That's not what she wanted you for."

"Then what did she want me for?"

"She wanted you to be her husband," she said and his hearts sped up.

"Her husband?" he asked and she nodded.

"That's what the riddle was about. The Doctor told us that the first part is about you becoming a Time Lord…"

"How did she know that I would become one?"

"She can see the past, the present and the future."

"Then what she did tae me? She did it on purpose?" he asked and she nodded. She listened to his hearts beating while he thought about what happened to his biological parents and balled his hand into a fist. "Blimey, in all my lives, I never thought I could hate anyone as much as I hate her!"

"Shhh," she said and heard a throaty growl rumbling in his chest.

"Right, she knew that I was going to go with the Doctor, get adopted and become a Time Lord. Do you think she knew I'd marry you?"

"Yeah, I think she did."

"What's the rest of it?"

"She was going to take you, wipe your memory of your life with us, make you like her then you'd marry her," she said and his eye went wide.

"That's bitch!"

"Shhh, it's alright, Bamm-Bamm, she's not going to get away with this," she said as he sighed then closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. She felt his skin relaxing as his breathing became slow and steady and tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes while he wrapped his arms around her and she closed her eyes, drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

Sitting on the throne, M'Yari growled as she strummed her fingers on the throne when a loud grinding and wheezing sound filled the air and she stood up, watching the TARDIS materialized at the center of the throne room. The doors slammed open as she ran down the stairs when the Doctor walked outside then closed and locked the doors.

"Where is my godson?" she demanded.

"He's sleeping," the Doctor said and she growled.

"Give him to me!"

"No, I don't think so."

"He isn't yours!"

"Wrong," he said as he walked toward her and she saw that his eyes were jet black. "He's ours!"

"GIVE HIM TO ME!" she shouted and he snorted, walked back to the doors and unlocked them. He half opened the door when he turned to her and leaned against the door.

"Tell you what. We'll fight you for him," he said and she blinked.

"What?"

"You pick someone and one of us will fight them," the Doctor said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. M'Yari thought for a few minutes while the Doctor whistled the Jeopardy theme and she smiled.

"Fine, I accept your challenge. Who is your champion?" she asked when he stood back and someone walked out of the TARDIS.

"I am!" Hamish said and the Doctor smiled.


	109. Chapter 109

Chapter One Hundred and Nine

The observation room was small and cramped. It had a large wooden table with several wooden high backed chairs around it and not much else save a speaker mounted in the ceiling above the table so the people could listen to the interrogation and a rectangular light fixture with fluorescent bulbs. The wall that separated them from the interrogation room was one large one way window. On their side it was a window but on the interrogation room side it looked like an ordinary wall. In the interrogation room was a similar table and chairs except they were made of metal. There was also a secret panel on the right side of the room. Under it was a red button that could be used to turn the speakers on and off in case something private needed to be said. Rain, Gaga and the children were in the observation room while the Doctor rocked back and forth on his heels in the interrogation room. He was waiting while Xashon went to get the delegation from Geordie. While they were waiting, a dogsbody brought in some coffee and sodas for Rain and the others, sat the tray on the table and left. The children sipped the sodas while they watched their father through the glass partition. He was still standing by the table rocking back and forth on his heels. Sokanon tapped on the glass to get his attention but the Doctor didn't hear her.

"This side is soundproofed, baby," Rain said. "He won't be able to hear you in here."

_Hey, Daddy, I'm tapping on the glass,_ Sokanon thought to him.

The Doctor stopped rocking and eyed the wall as the children giggled. The Doctor put his hands in his trouser pockets and walked over to the glass. The children laughed when he crammed his face up against the wall, flattening his nose as he stared out into space.

_No, Daddy, I'm down here,_ Sokanon thought as she came up directly in front of her father.

They laughed when the Doctor got down on his hands and knees far below Sokanon's eyes and pressed his face up against the wall again.

_No, not that far!_ Sokanon thought as she giggled.

"Make up your flippidy floopin' flee mind!" the Doctor yelled as the children laughed hysterically.

The Doctor got up off the floor and paced around the table while the children tapped on the glass and yelled to him. He stopped in front of the wall again staring at the back of the room while the children hit the glass with the palms of their hands. Then he turned so his back was facing them.

"Oh my!" he said in a loud voice as he looked down. "My shoe is untied."

The children laughed as he bent over and pretended to tie his shoe. They laughed harder when he backed up and slammed his buttcheeks against the wall.

Hey! Quit moonin' us! Namid thought to him.

"I'm not moonin' ya," the Doctor said aloud. "I'm tying me shoe!"

The children and Rain laughed as he pressed his butt as hard as he could up against the wall and wiggled it. Gaga shook her head. Rain looked at her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I've heard many legends about the Doctor but I never knew he could be so childish and silly," she said.

"Well, that's because he became a father and he learned how to be silly with them," she said. "Before he met us, he wasn't quite this playful."

The Doctor stood up and looked around, then looked down again.

"Blimey, the other shoe is untied!" he said, pointing to it. "What's wrong with me? I must not be thinking correctly today to have left both me shoes untied."

Everyone laughed when he bent over and slammed his butt up against the wall again.

"It's nice to know he does have a sense of humor," Gaga said to Rain as she sipped her coffee. "The legends spoke of the Oncoming Storm and how he was a fearful person."

"He is at times, don't get me wrong. You don't wanna get on his bad side but there's this side he shows to his closest friends and family, his fatherly, playful side."

They laughed when the Doctor turned and used the wall like a mirror as he pretended to pick at an imaginary pimple on his face. They laughed harder when the door opened and the Doctor instantly went rigid as Xashon and three others came inside. Xashon paused and stared at the Doctor with a bemused smile on her face.

"What were you doing?" she asked.

"Nothing, just contemplating the universe," the Doctor said, quickly turning as Gaga and Rain chortled. "So this is the delegation?"

"Yes, this is Manon, the head of the delegation. Fratek and Bobo."

"Bobo?" Rain said as Gaga giggled.

She laughed when mere seconds after she said that she heard her husband echo the very same thing inside her mind. Two of the men, Manon and Fratek were tall and thin but Bobo was short and dumpy which made his name even more hilarious to her. Whereas Manon and Fratek were tanned and healthy looking, Bobo was lily white, pasty faced and had a triple chin. Manon wore his black hair in a Mohawk while Fratek's blonde hair was a buzz cut. Bobo was bald and the light over their heads shone down on top of it making a reflection. Rain couldn't help but think of Jabba the Hutt and she expected him to say ho, ho, ho at any moment. All three wore black satin robes with a gold sash draped around their chests and black satin boots.

"That's the official dress of my people," Gaga said when Rain pointed it out. "They wear that for special occasions like this."

The Doctor bowed and the children laughed when he quickly butted the wall with his bum before he straightened back up.

"Yup, my husband is a very cheeky person, literally and figuratively," Rain said as Gaga chuckled.

The children stood in front of the wall, sipping their sodas while they watched their father intently. Xashon sat down at the head of the table while the delegation sat down opposite the Doctor. Rain raised her eyebrow when Bobo sat down.

"Good thing the chairs are made of metal in there," she said.

Gaga laughed.

"I've never met him but he's one of the elite. Most of them are that fat since they have servants to do everything except breathe and I'm sure one day they'll figure out a way for the servants to do that."

"But aren't you part of the elite? You're a Lady, aren't ya?" Rain said.

"Yeah, but I'm still not that high up compared to him. Besides I'm a woman and like I said before, being a woman doesn't count for crap on my planet, nobility or not."

"I'm sure Xashon has filled you in on some of the details," the Doctor was saying to the delegation.

"If by that you mean we know that Lady Gaga is here on this planet, then yes," Manon said. "And we've come to take her back with us."

"I believe Lady Gaga is an adult and she has her own mind," the Doctor said. "She's expressed the wish not to return to Geordie."

"That doesn't matter," Manon said. "She's a woman, she has no status and she has no say on whether or not she will come back with us. Her role is to be submissive."

"Charming," Rain said to Gaga.

"Yeah, now you see why I got the hell away from that place," Gaga replied.

"Lady Gaga has applied for asylum here among us," Xashon said.

Rain looked at Gaga.

"You did?"

"No, but I guess this is her way of trying to keep me here so I'm not gonna argue," Gaga replied.

"We do not recognize a plea of asylum for women," Bobo said in a deep, watery voice.

"Dear God, he is Jabba," Rain said.

"Huh?" Lady Gaga said.

"I'll explain later," Rain replied.

"Well, that's unfortunate because we do recognize a plea of asylum from both genders," Xashon said. "We do not perceive Lady Gaga to be a threat so she is welcome here among us provided her petition is granted."

"THERE IS NO PETITION! SHE IS NOTHING!" Manon said, springing to his feet.

"Sit down!" Xashon said.

Rain raised her eyebrow when Manon gave her a look that clearly said he didn't think much of her position of power either but then the Doctor stood up and Rain smirked when Manon quickly sat down.

"You were saying all the legends you heard were about my husband being a badass?" Rain said to Gaga.

"Yup, nearly all."

"Well, that explains why he nearly pissed his pants when the Doctor stood up," Rain said as Gaga smirked and nodded.

Everyone sat back down.

"I take it you find my gender my issue then since you have such a low opinion of women to begin with?" Xashon said to Manon.

The three men's eyes went from her to the Doctor and Rain suppressed a laugh when she noticed how nervous they looked. She was looking at her husband's back but she imagined he was giving them a warning look. And if he was, they would be wise to heed it.

The discussion went on for about twenty minutes with everyone getting angrier and angrier. The delegation refusing to accept Lady Gaga's petition for asylum claming she had no rights as a female. Rain felt for Xashon because each time they put down females she looked like she was about to reach over and smack them on the face. Finally, the meeting was adjourned for the moment in order to let everyone calm down. The Doctor waited until a couple of guards escorted the delegation back to the waiting room before he and Xashon walked out and went into the observation room.

"We're trying," the Doctor said to Gaga as he shut the door behind him.

"I know you are and I appreciate this but you're fighting a losing battle. They're never gonna let me stay here."

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck.

"There's gonna be some way we can get them to leave you alone," he said as he paced back and forth.

The children watched him pacing when suddenly Namid had an idea.

"Hey!" she said, running over to him. "I got an idea."

"Yes, Rainbow?" the Doctor said.

"Uncle Alan," Namid said.

"What about him?"

"Get Uncle Alan over here." Namid said.

"What for?" the Doctor said.

"So he can talk to those people," Namid said.

"Baby, the Doctor can't get through to them what makes you think Alan will?" Rain said.

"Cause I got an idea, Daddy. Listen."


	110. Chapter 110

Chapter One Hundred Ten

M'Yari walked closer as she looked at Hamish and moved her finger along the stick.

"Why do you carry this?" she asked as she tilted her head to one side and blinked.

"It helps me get around," Hamish said when M'Yari gently took Hamish's face in her hands, looking deeply into his eyes.

"You don't want to fight, do you?" she asked as she stroked his cheeks with her fingers and her eyes flashed in a blue light.

"Aye, I do," Hamish said with a nod of his head and she frowned.

"No, you DON'T!" she shouted as her eyes flashed again and he grinned at her. "What is so funny?"

"You're trying tae hypnotize me, eh?" he asked and her eyes went wide.

"Yes, but you're not falling under my stare. What are you? Blind?" she asked as his grin grew wider, showing his straight, white teeth, and she gasped. "No, this is unacceptable! I will not have a blind man fighting in my arena!"

"Then you'll let my wee brother go, aye?"

"No, he is mine!" she said then looked at the Doctor. "You will give him to me or I will…"

M'Yari gasped when Hamish spun the stick then hit her in the face then in the ribs, swept her legs out from under her, placed on foot on her stomach after she fell to the ground and held the end of the stick between her breasts. The stick pulsated under his hands in time with her heartbeat as she breathed hard and fast and he smiled down at her.

"Now, where is this arena of yours?" he asked and she growled, flopping down onto her back.

"Now, are you sure you want tae do this?" Angus asked while Hamish finished sharpening the end of the stick and nodded.

"Aye, I do," he said with a nod of his head.

"But this isnae your fight, Frazer is my brother."

"He is also mine."

"But I am the oldest," Angus said as Hamish walked to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Aye, you were born first, but you, Ian, Robbie, Conner, Vicky an' Frazer went into the future while I was born in the past. So, technically, I am the oldest," Hamish said and Angus thought for a few minutes then smiled.

"Aye, you're right, but it still doesnae make it easy for me tae watch you go off an' fight a fight you might nae win."

"Well, if it comes tae that, may I ask a favor of you?" he asked and Angus placed his hand on top of Hamish's hand, squeezing it.

"What are you asking?"

"If I die, I want you tae look after Lucy an' my girls," Hamish said and Angus gasped.

"Are you sure?" he asked and Hamish nodded. "Then, aye, they will be under my protection."

"Thank you, Brother," Hamish said as he left the room and Angus sighed, feeling a deep ache in his hearts.

M'Yari's minions stood around the edge of the wall that encircled the arena while M'Yari sat on the throne while the Doctor, Duer, Frankie, Cam, Angel, Jenna, Jamie and the rest of the McCrimmon clan stood at the other side of the arena and Frazer was sitting on the ground near the throne. His shoulder was in a sling as he wore a golden collar and was chained to the throne. M'Yari gently stroked his hair as he growled and tried biting her finger, resulting in a sharp slap from M'yari to the back of his head.

"If she hits him ONE more time…" Angel grumbled as the Doctor nodded and held her in his arms.

"It's going to be ok," the Doctor said then whispered in her ear and her eyes went wide.

"Really?" she asked softly and he nodded, giving her a smile. Three elves raised three golden curved ram horns when the sound of horns filled the air and the gate opened. Hamish walked inside the arena to the cheers of his family as the stick left little welts in the sand and he did a little bow. M'Yari stood up when she pulled on the chain and Frazer grunted, half standing up.

"She's choking him!" Conner shouted as Hamish slowly reached down and picked up a stone. Closing his eyes, he blocked out all the noise except for Frazer's gagging for air and Hamish threw the stone, hitting M'Yari's wrist. She yelped as she let go of the chain and Frazer collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

"Do that again, Witch, an' you'll see how good I am at tossing my stick!" Hamish said as he tapped the stick hard against the sand then let go and the stick gently wobbled back and forth.

"Run her through, Hamish!" Robert yelled then looked at the Doctor and lowered his head. Shaking his head, the Doctor looked at Hamish and pulled his mind closer, setting up a privacy block.

"_No killing," _the Doctor thought and Hamish blinked.

"_You mean me or the beastie?" _Hamish thought.

"_Time Lords don't kill unless it is absolutely necessary."_

"_And if this thing kills me?"_

"_I will apologize profusely to your father," _the Doctor thought and Hamish sighed. The minions cheered when the gate opened and the ground seemed to shake. With a low grunt, a twenty foot tall ogre lumbered out into the arena and Jamie looked at the Doctor.

"Look at the size of that thing, Doctor!" Jamie said.

"Yes, Jamie, it is a big thing, isn't it?" Duer said and Jamie smiled, a soft laugh escaped his lips. The minions cheered and laughed as he stood still and the ogre looked at him. The ogre had mossy green skin with a scattering of warts and tuffs of black hair spread over the ogre's head. Its yellow eyes squinted at Hamish as snot dripped from its bulbous nose and two tusks stuck out from its bottom lip. The ogre wore fur trunks with a belt and veins pulsated on the muscular arms and legs.

"Och, you have got tae be kidding me!" Ian shouted as the ogre moved closer to Hamish and Hamish felt the coolness in the air while the shadow of the ogre moved over him.

"You're a big one, aye?" Hamish asked as the ogre grunted and Hamish pulled the stick out of the sand. The ogre roared then it lifted its hands over its head and Hamish took on step to the left. The large arms swung down as the ogre's eyes went wide and it stumbled forward, nearly crashing into the wall. Shrugging, Hamish covered his mouth as he yawned and the ogre ran toward him. Hamish heard the heavy footsteps as he started running and the stick thumped against his leg. After making a third lap around the arena, Hamish leaned against the wall while the ogre came closer and Hamish looked up, smiling.

"You ken, Angus, you might be right. Mebbe this was a bad idea," he said and Angus looked at the large fey guard behind him then grinned.

"You need some help then?" Angus asked.

"Aye, that would be nice!" Hamish said as the ogre swung at him and Hamish ducked, hearing the sound of stone and bone shattering from the ogre hitting the wall. The large fey guard didn't have time to move as Angus made a fist and smashed his fist into the large fey guard's face, causing the large fey guard to slide to the floor. Picking up a large axe, Angus yelled as he climbed onto the top of the wall and jumped into the air.

"No, he can't do that!" M'Yari shouted as Frazer smiled and watched Angus land like a cat on his feet and swung the axe at the ogre. A large gash erupted from the ogre's leg as it bellowed and Ian and Robert looked at each other.

"Well?" Robert asked as he nodded his head toward the two fey guards behind then and Ian nodded. The fey guards grunted as Ian and Robert punched them in the face, grabbed the long sword and axe then jumped onto the top of the wall.

"Brothers, can we play, too?" Ian shouted as Hamish ducked and Angus swung the axe, cutting a long gash into the ogre's back.

"Aye, come on!" Angus shouted as Robert and Ian dived off the wall and landed softly on the ground. The minions were cheering loudly as Conner smacked the back of his head against the elf guard behind him and Conner picked up the axe, jumping onto the top of the wall.

"Wait for me!" he shouted as he jumped down and roared, running toward the ogre.

"Dinnae forget me!" Jamie said after knocking out the fey guard near him and took his spear. Yelling "creag an tuire", Jamie jumped onto the top of the wall when he jumped into the area and ran toward Conner, who was getting up after the ogre nearly hit him. "Are you alright, Lad?"

"Aye, Dad," Conner said with a nod of his head and they ran to help Ian and Angus.

"Och, the nerve of them," Victoria said while watching Hamish and Robert yelling and waving their arms at the ogre and Jenna, Frankie, and Angel looked at her.

"You're right. This is rude!" Angel said as they knocked out the four fey guards behind them, grabbed their weapons. Climbing onto the top of the wall, they jumped down then ran toward the ogre and Duer sighed, rolling his eyes. Stepping down hard on the foot of the elf guard to his left, he grabbed the elf guard's spear then jumped onto the top of the wall then looked at the Doctor. Shrugging, Duer jumped into the arena when he helped Frankie up after she slipped on the bloody sand and the Doctor looked at Cam, Donald, Zoe and Alexander.

"No," he said as the children sighed and folded their arms over their chests.

"But he's my daddy," Alexander said and the Doctor nodded, placing his arm around Alexander's shoulders. The ogre, winded and bleeding, was staggering side to side while Hamish held up his hand and the others backed away. Hamish slowly walked toward the ogre when he heard a soft humming sound and someone tapped his back.

"May I?" Alan asked as he took the stick out of Hamish's hand and made a face. The vortex manipulator sat on his right wrist as he used end of Adam's shirt to wipe the blood off the stick and looked at the ogre. The Doctor had contacted Alan and Adam and told them what was going on as Alan twirled the stick around like a baton and whistled. "Right, just so that we're clear, NO ONE messes with my family and gets away with it!"

"What he said," Adam said and adjusted the strap on the vortex manipulator he was wearing on his left wrist.

The ogre grunted at Alan rammed the end of the stick into the fur trunks and its eyes went wide. The ogre staggered to the left when it started to fall and Adam cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Timber!" Adam shouted as the ogre crashed to the ground and M'yari stood up, her eyes glowing in a red light.

"Foul!" she shouted and Alan looked around the arena, placing the stick in Hamish's hand.

"I don't see any fowl," he said then looked over at the Doctor and waved his arms in the air. "Brother, do you see any fowl?"

"I think she's saying that we cheated," the Doctor said and Alan made an O with his mouth.

"You did cheat, Time Lord, so I claim this one as mine!" M'Yari said as she pulled on the chain and Frazer gagged, pulling on the collar.

"Let him go!" a voice said as she gasped and her eyes went wide, seeing who was standing next to the Doctor and the Doctor smiled.

"Someone's in trouble," Alan said in a sing song voice and Adam smiled, placing his elbow on Alan's shoulder and crossed one ankle over the other.


	111. Chapter 111

Chapter One Hundred and Eleven

_You want me to do what?_ Alan thought to his brother.

_I need you to come to the council chambers. Bring an imager and disguise yourself as Lady Gaga so you can confront these three gits without her being put in danger,_ the Doctor thought back.

_You want me to impersonate Lady Gaga? This is your brilliant plan?_

_No, this is Namid's brilliant plan, I'm just the messenger. Now will you help out or not?_

_Okay, okay, just making sure we're clear on what I'm s'posed to do. I'll be down there in a jiffy,_ Alan thought to him.

"Okay, Alan's coming with the imager," the Doctor said to the others.

"How do you know that?" Gaga asked.

"Our race are telepaths, I just telepathically spoke with him."

"And…somehow he's gonna impersonate me and get away with it?"

The Doctor grinned.

"Our race is also ace when it comes to mimicry," he said. "And we have these imagers; they can disguise our appearance perfectly."

"Uncle Alan will look just like you," Namid said to Gaga.

"Oh boy, this I gotta see," Gaga said to Rain.

A half hour later, Alan came into the observation room carrying a large, brown rectangular box. He set the box down on the table.

"Okay, I'm here. How long till this delegation returns?" Alan asked the Doctor.

"They'll wait as long as we want them to, Xashon will see to that. May I ask what's in the box?"

"Outfits. You wanted me to impersonate her, so I brought along things she might wear," Alan said, gesturing to Gaga.

He took the imager out of his pocket and put it around his neck. Gaga watched in stunned fascination as he slowly adjusted it, running through several different looks before he finally looked like her.

"Amazing! Wish I had one of those when I was on the run," Gaga said. "I can't help noticing you're butt naked though."

"That's where the outfits come in to play," Alan said, taking the lid off the box. "And before you ask, I had Daisy look at Lady Gaga's videos and make up some outfits you might wear."

They watched in amusement as he pulled out a dress made out of aluminum foil and put it on. The dress was strapless and came down to mid thigh. Then he took out a belt made out of a stoat and put it around him. Then he reached into the box and took out silver shoes with four inch platform heels. He put those on and wobbled for a moment until he got his balance. Then he reached in and to everyone's amazement he pulled out an enormous hat that was at least three feet taller than he was. The wide felt brim was silver but the center of the hat was a three foot penis that was amazingly detailed. Around the penis was a pretty satin black bow. Alan put the hat on and reached in the box as everyone giggled at Gaga's reaction.

"Wow, a penis hat. I never thought of that. I'll have to steal that from you when you're done," she said to Alan as everyone laughed harder.

He finished off the look with an enormous gold snake bracelet that snaked around his upper arm. The eyes were rubies. Gaga nodded.

"Yup, I'll definitely have to steal your outfit once you're done," she said.

Alan took a step and they gasped when he wobbled again for a few seconds. He took a few more tentative steps but soon he had the hang of the shoes and was walking around confidently, then strutting and finally dancing in them.

"Latara, got your camera?" the Doctor muttered in his wife's ear. "Rose would skin me alive if I didn't get a photo of this for her."

Rain surreptitiously reached into her trouser pocket and pulled out her digital camera. The Doctor kissed her cheek as a way of thanking her and slowly snuck up on his dancing brother, camera at the ready. He noticed Sokanon was about to say something to him and gave her a warning look as he shook his head. Sokanon shut up and bit her lip to stifle the giggles.

"Yup, I definitely think I have the hang of this now."

"Hey, Gaga Girl, lookie over here!"

Alan turned and gasped when the Doctor took the photo.

"Thanks, Rain, Rose will love me for this," the Doctor said, walking back to his wife.

"Oi, give me that camera," Alan said as the Doctor ran to his wife's side and gave it to her.

Rain shoved it in her pocket and smirked at Alan just as he ran up to her.

"Sorry, Phallus Hat, the photo is as good as Rose's," she said smugly.

"I will have that camera before the end of the day, mark my words!"

"Whatever, Phallus Hat. By the way, love the bow, it accents the phallus hat perfectly," Rain said as the Doctor chuckled.

Alan looked at his brother who gave him a look of innocence. He sighed.

"Right, get the buggers in here so we can finish this and go home," Alan said.

After telegraphing to Xashon that they were ready, she brought the three delegates back into the interrogation room. Alan waited in the observation room until everyone was inside the other room and seated before he went out the door. The moment he left, everyone giggled.

"Wow, what a hat," Rain said. "Yet somehow it fits Alan's personality to a tee."

The moment Alan entered everyone did a double take but the Doctor and Rain chortled when they saw the stunned look on Xashon's face as her eyes drifted up to the penis hat.

"RAH RAH RAHRAHRAH BLAH BLAH MOO MOOMA POO POO IN MY BRA, ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF!" Alan half screamed/half sang in Lady Gaga's voice at the stunned delegation as the Doctor and Rain bent over laughing.

"Aha," the Doctor said to Namid when he was able to speak. "I see now why you wanted him to impersonate Lady Gaga."

Namid giggled and nodded and he tousled her hair before they went back to watching Alan.

Before anyone could speak, Alan went on with his off-key singing as he danced in a tight square in front of the table.

"MY NAME IS GAGA AND I AM DIVINE. JUST LISTEN TO ME SING AND I KNOW THAT YOU'RE MINE. DO YOU LIKE MY HAT? HAT, HAT, HAT. DO YOU LIKE MY HAT?"

He jerked his head back as he let out a loud "EUGH!" and everyone in the observation room laughed when the weight of the hat nearly toppled him backwards onto his ass. He quickly checked his balance and bowed before he pulled back a chair at the end of the table and sat down. The Doctor chortled and borrowed Rain's camera again, taking a photo of him sitting there with the penis hat towering over his small head.

"Lady Gaga, you are ordered to come back to Geordie with us this instant!" Manon said.

Alan thrust out his hand.

"Sorry, sorry, baby, I can't hear ya, eh eh. I have got no service in the interrogation room, you see, see. Wh-what was that, eh, you're breaking up on me? I cannot talk to you, I gotta pee pee. I gotta pee pee. Gotta get out of this dress and go and wee wee."

"Wait? Is he making fun of me?" Gaga said in amusement as the Doctor and Rain bent over laughing.

"No, you have to know our brother. This is his way of doing things," Rain said. "Trust me; he's a huge fan of yours."

"Yeah, he's just taking the mickey out of the delegation, nothing more than that," the Doctor added as the children giggled.

"Listen, you will stop this foolishness at once and return to Geordie with us!" Manon said angrily.

Alan sat with a stone face as he stared at him.

"Well, what is your answer?"

Alan said nothing, only sat there with the stone face.

"What is your answer?" Manon said impatiently.

"I'm giving you my poker face, that's my answer," Alan said to him.

"I am not in the mood for jokes, Lady Gaga. I want your answer, are you going to come along quietly or do we have to force…"

"WAAAAIT!"

Manon shut up when Alan screamed at him. He leapt up from his chair.

"Be right back, gotta go change my clothes. If I wear an outfit for more than two minutes, I feel manky. Ta ra!"

Gaga chuckled as he ran out the door. He shut it behind him and three seconds later, he burst through the observation room door.

"I don't have time," Alan said with Lady Gaga's voice as the children cheered and came up around him. "Gotta change. If I'm in an outfit more than two minutes, I feel dead manky."

They watched as he stripped off the clothes and hat and laid it on the table. He grinned and everyone laughed when Gaga ran up, snatched the hat and the snake bracelet and put it in the corner.

"Take it all, I don't want it, Daisy came up with the lot," Alan said.

"Daisy?" Gaga said.

"His name for his TARDIS," the Doctor said to her.

Alan put on a garbage bag dress and a black belt with a belt buckle that was made out of a large human skull with a purple feather sticking out of the top of it. He put on pink ballet slippers and then he put on another oversized hat, this one had a large black felt brim that had a train track and miniature train running around it. In the center was a four foot ketchup bottle. The Doctor raised his eyebrow as he stared at this new outfit.

"Daisy designed all this?" he said, amused.

She watched all of Lady Gaga's videos and this is what she gave to me, who am I to quibble," Alan said with a shrug. "Now if you'll excuse me, gotta get back!"

He ran out the door and shut it as everyone giggled and went back to watching through the glass. When he tore back through the interrogation room door, the Doctor nearly lost it when he saw the shock on Xashon's face.

"Sorry, I told you lot I had to wee wee. Well, I did that and I changed my outfit and now…where were we?" Alan said as he sat back down.

He waited for someone to speak but everyone was too busy staring at his ketchup hat. Finally, Manon cleared his throat.

"We were waiting for your answer, Lady Gaga," he said, trying not to look at the four foot ketchup bottle on Alan's head.

He gasped when Alan leapt up and bent over to him. He put his hand out in front of his face as he resumed his singing.

"Don't call my name; don't call my name, Alejandro. I'm not your babe; I'm not your babe, Fernando."

The delegation sighed angrily.

"Gaga, shut up and quit singing," Manon said angrily.

The delegation gasped when Alan hiked his left leg up on the table, reached up under his dress and began to vigorously scratch his crotch.

"Don't call my name, don't call my name, Alejando," Alan sang as he scratched. "I'm busy here, busy here scratching my crotch-o. Don't wanna poo, don't wanna pee, just wanna get my jollies. Gonna scratch my crotch, gonna scratch my crotch, Roberto."

The delegation watched Alan scratching himself while Xashon fought to keep her composure. Bobo turned his head to look at Manon.

"This is the dissident who is threatening the Geordie government? She's a raving lunatic!" he said to Manon

"Which I believe is Alan's whole plan," the Doctor said as he watched.

"What?" Gaga said. "He's making me look like I'm insane?"

"Exactly. He's making it look like you're a complete nutter who I'm pretty sure they won't want to touch with a barge pole," the Doctor said.

"Ah ha," Gaga said as she smiled and nodded. "Smooth move there. They think I'm nuts then they think I won't be capable of organizing any resistance against them."

"And you'll be free to do that as well as focus on your singing career," the Doctor said. "See? My brother acts strangely but there's usually a method to his madness."

By this time, Alan was making strange guttural noises while he was smelling his fingers and running them up and down his cheeks.

"YES, SHAITAN, I OBEY YOUR DARK VOICE!" Alan screamed in a deep voice as the shocked delegation looked on. "I shall sacrifice the innocents and serve them to the heathens with a side of shrew! Hail the dark lord, Shaitan!"

Alan rolled his eyes up in his head and the delegation gasped as he ripped his hat off, leaned over and banged his head repeatedly on the table while he screamed out "SHAITAN, I AM YOUR DARK BRIDE, MASTURBATE IN FRONT OF ME!"

Bobo leapt up.

"I don't know about you lot but they can have her. She needs to be put away somewhere secure and left there!" he said to everyone.

He gasped as Alan suddenly straightened up, seized his robe and stared at him with wild eyes.

"I MUST HAVE BLUBBER FOR SHAITAN!" he bellowed. "GIVE ME YOUR BLUUUUUBBEEEEER-AH!"

The Doctor and everyone else in the observation room roared with laughter as Bobo jerked his robe away from Alan and ran out of the room.

"Wait, I must have blubber for Shaitan!" Alan yelled.

He looked at Manon.

"Alejandro, go tell Fernando I must have his blubber!" he said to him.

Manon shook his head and he and Fratek stood up.

"I'm with Bobo, keep the nutty bitch," Manon said.

"Yes, we had no idea the whore was mentally ill," Fratek said with disgust. "She's your problem now. Have someone escort us to our ship. We're leaving."

"But I must have bluuuuubbeeeer!" Alan moaned.

They gasped when he slid up onto the table on his back and writhed around while he reached under the dress and touched himself. Manon looked at Fratek and both of them stormed out of the room. The moment they left, Alan stopped and let out a contented sigh.

"See, problem solved," he said, leaning his head back to look at Xashon.

"My friend, you are a genius," Xashon said, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Aw, nothing to it, just a bit of playacting and improvisation and now, Lady Gaga," he said to the wall. "You are free!"

There was a minute of silence and then everyone else burst into the interrogation room. Gaga walked up to Alan and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You were incredible. I never would have thought of the insanity defense. That was wonderfully brilliant," she said.

"Aw, thanks, love all the kisses I'm getting."

"And I got heaps of photos to show Rose."

"Hand over the camera," Alan said to his brother as he held out his hand.

The Doctor gave him an impish grin and patted Rain's trouser pocket.

"Safe and sound and she'll be getting an escort home, these photos are more valuable to me than all the gold on Delphi Six," he said.

Alan let out an exasperated sigh.

"See how he is? See what I have to live with?" he said to Xashon as everyone laughed.

(Two months later…)

Alan sat in his living room, sipping a pint of lager while he read the morning newspaper. Rose was upstairs taking a shower and Christopher was in his room playing with his toys. He put the paper and the lager down on his coffee table when he heard a knock on his door.

"Coming!" he called out.

He opened the door and smiled when he saw Gaga standing there.

"Hey, back from your tour already?" he said, hugging his friend.

"Nah, just wanted to come back to my apartment and get a few things. Thought I'd drop by and say hello before I go back to the rigors of the road," she said.

"Well, come inside. Have a pint and rest," Alan said. "Tell me all about what's been going on lately."

Gaga smiled. Alan stepped aside and let her by before he closed the door and went to get her some lager.


	112. Chapter 112

Chapter One Hundred Twelve

Great King Oberon and Great Queen Titania stood near the Doctor as M'Yari glared at them and dropped the chain, causing Frazer to fall to the ground in a large heap.

"Bamm-Bamm!" Angel shouted as Hamish blinked and Jamie told him why she called Frazer by his unusual nickname.

"You have no claim here, Brother," M'Yari said as she placed her hands on her hips and kicked Frazer in the stomach, causing him to scream.

"Leave him alone!" Angel shouted as Alan ran to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Oi, Wicked Witch Bitch, hands of my son-in-law!" Alan shouted as M'Yari snorted and pulled Frazer's head up by his hair and he winced.

"Let…go…of…my…hair!" he growled and she let go of his hair, causing his head to hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Father, where is Uncle Adam?" Hamish asked as he reached his hand out and Jamie led him to Adam.

"What's up?" Adam asked and Hamish placed his hand on Adam's shoulder.

"How did you get here?" Hamish asked and Adam explained what a vortex manipulator was. "Can you go get me something?"

"What do you have in mind?" Adam asked and Hamish closed his eyes, showing Adam what he wanted. "Oh, that's perfect!" Adam hit the vortex manipulator as he vanished and Jamie looked at Hamish.

"What did you ask him tae get?" Jamie said and Hamish whispered in his ear. "Och, that is mad genius!"

"I just hope he can bring it before she does Frazer any more damage," Hamish said and Jamie gently squeezed his shoulder.

"Sister, you will stop this foolishness!" Great King Oberon shouted while M'Yari tossed her head back and laughed.

"You will deny me what is mine by right, Brother?" she asked and Frazer growled up at her.

"But you have no right to him!" Jamie shouted and M'Yari looked down at him.

"Nor do you, Human!"

"Aye, I do! I am his father!"

"That is not true! You took him from me!"

"No, he had to come with me. He dinnae belong where he was! If he would have stayed, the time stream would have collapsed!" Jamie said as he balled his hands into fists and he started shaking.

"Is this true?" Great King Oberon asked and the Doctor nodded.

"Maybe so, but he is still mine!" M'Yari said and Jamie turned to Great King Oberon and Great Queen Titania then fell to his knees. He knew a McCrimmon never begs for mercy but he was at the end of his rope and he lifted his head, looking up at them.

"My Lord an' Lady, I am a man that doesnae beg for mercy but I asked for it now. I have lost one child tae you. Please, dinnae make me lose another!" he said and Great King Oberon and Great Queen Titania looked at the Doctor.

"What is he talking about? We have none of his children," Great Queen Titania said and tilted her head to one side.

"He is talking about his daughter, Mary. She was taking by the fey and they made her one of them," the Doctor said and she looked at Jamie.

"Rise, Young One," she said and Jamie stood up. "We recognize your pain and assure you that your children will be returned to you."

"No, he is mine!" M'Yari said when a bright flash of light filled the arena and everyone covered their eyes.

"Orgah!" a low voice said as they uncovered their eyes and Loch was sitting at the center of the arena, the ogre pinned under it. The others had backed away as Adam patted the soft hide and Jamie showed Hamish what was going on.

"It can't be!" M"Yari said when she picked Frazer's face up by his chin and snarled at him. "You told me that the egg died!"

"Guesh I wash wrong," he said when Loch sniffed the air and turned its head toward Frazer's voice. It moved closer and the dust flew around the arena. The blood from the ogre's crushed body made a dark smear on the sand and Loch sniffed the air, looking down at Frazer then at M'Yari.

"Garagh!" Loch bellowed as its head went back and she let go of Frazer.

"Stop!" she shouted as she held her arms up and Loch growled at her. "You will not harm me! I am your mistress!"

"Rrrrrgh!" Loch growled as it moved its head closer and its eyes became tight slits.

"I don't think he's listening to you, Witchy Poo!" Alan said.

"Obey me!" M'Yari said when Loch's head moved back and it made a soft gurgling sound.

"Uh, Brother, I think bringing him here was a bad idea," Alan said as Adam walked closer and looked up at Loch.

"You mean because people get….Uh-oh!" Adam said when they ran and Loch sprayed vomit all over M'Yari and Frazer.

"Ew!" the children said as Great King Oberon and Great Queen Titania laughed and the Doctor smiled. M'Yari wiped the vomit off her as Loch made a soft purring sound and Frazer tried to stand up but slipped and fell down again. Carefully, Loch moved closer as Frazer tried to stand again and reached up, patting the soft skin of Loch's nose.

"Aye, I ken that you dinnae mean tae do that," he said as he got to his feet and Loch lowered its head, allowing Frazer to fall against it. Loch gently lifted Frazer off the ground then lowered its head and Frazer slid to the sand. Angel ran to Frazer as she scooped him into her arms and he looked at her. "Hello."

"You need a bath!" she teased as he nodded and she rocked him, holding him to her chest.

"Rrrrgh," Loch growled as M'Yari looked at it and moved its head toward her.

"Stay back!" she shouted when Loch snorted and she fell to her bottom.

"Looks like he told her," Adam said and Alan laughed.

"Yep," Alan said as he popped the "p" and M'Yari stood up, her eyes in tight slits.

"Loch?" Frazer shouted as Loch lowered its head and gently nudged him. "Stand down, Boy, it's alright."

Making a soft cooing sound, Loch lowered itself to the sand and rested its head near Frazer's side.

"Amazing, we have never known anyone who could control a waterloch," Great King Oberon said and the Doctor blinked.

"Is that what he is?" he asked and Great King Oberon nodded then looked at M'Yari.

"For the last time, Sister, release your hold on him!" Great King Oberon demanded and M'Yari laughed.

"NO!" she shouted and Great Queen Titania, who was at the end of her patience, balled her hands into fists.

"We grow weary of this! If you must act like a child, Sister, a child you shall be!" she shouted as a ball of blue lightning flew from her hands and struck M'Yari in the chest. M'Yari screamed when a blue light surrounded her and she changed into a small fey child.

"You will pay for this!" she cried out in a high pitched voice and a red light flared in Great Queen Titania's eyes.

"Ooo, I think she's pissed off," Alan said as he pointed to Great Queen Titania and Frazer gently nodded his head.

"Husband, do we think she would make an excellent addition to the garden?" Great Queen Titania asked and Great King Oberon nodded his head.

"Wait, what are…?" the Doctor asked when M'Yari screamed and turned into a statue made of white marble. The Doctor looked at Great King Oberon and Great Queen Titania then sighed and Great Queen Titania vanished, reappearing near Angel and Frazer. Great Queen Titania knelt down next to Frazer as she flicked some of the vomit off of him and he sadly smiled at her.

"You are a mess, Young One," she said with a smile and he nodded his head. "Do you wish for us to take her gift from you?"

Frazer glanced over at Loch then at her when he shook his head and Great Queen Titania gently stroked her fingers on his cheek. He watched as she reached into his shirt then took the necklace off of him and held it in her hand.

"Then we will blind the others so they will no longer see you or your kin."

"Wait, does that mean he can't see something like Loch?" Angel asked as she pointed toward Loch and Great Queen Titania smiled.

"No, Sweet One, he will still see all creatures of myth, magic and mystery, but beings, such as we, will no longer sense any of you."

"Aye, that sounds like a grand idea," Frazer said softly then closed his eyes and they looked down at him. Great Queen Titania touched her hand to his chest as she felt his hearts beating and nodded at Angel.

"He sleeps," Great Queen Titania whispered and Angel sent love into Frazer's mind. Great Queen Titania stood when she walked to Jamie and stood in front of him. "We cannot return your lost daughter, Brave One, for she is not here."

"I ken that, Great Lady, an' I thank you for my son," he said and she nodded. She walked toward Hamish when she blinked and tilted her head to one side.

"As for you, Sightless One, we sense something about you. Something that will come soon, but there is no need to fear. It will be a good thing," she said as she patted his cheek and he blinked. They watched her vanish then reappear near the Doctor and she looked at him. "Now, we think it is time for you to take your kin and leave."

"Does that include Loch?" he asked and she looked at Loch.

"Yes, he is yours," she said with a nod of her head and Great King Oberon and Great Queen Titania vanished, taking the statue of M'Yari with them.

"Um, why do I have a feeling that taking him back is going to be messy?" Adam asked as he looked at Loch and Alan shrugged, leaned his elbow on Adam's shoulder.

(Three weeks later.)

"Roogh," Loch said as it lowered its head and Frazer gently patted the soft nose. It had taken weeks for him to fully heal but still had nightmares about what happened.

"Brother?" a voice asked as he turned to his left and saw Hamish coming toward him. Walking closer, he took Hamish by the elbow as he led him to Loch and Lock looked down at them. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Frazer said and Hamish gave him a "Why don't I believe you?" look.

"Aye, you're fine here," he said, poking Frazer's shoulder. "But you are nae fine in your head an' hearts."

"When did you become a shrink?" he asked and Hamish blinked. "I mean…"

"I ken what you mean," Hamish said with a smile. "You have tae remember that I can tell when things are nae the way they should be. So, again, how are you?"

"I am a mess," Frazer sighed and Hamish placed an arm around him, patting his shoulder. Frazer placed his head on Hamish's shoulder as Hamish sent love into his mind and he smiled. "Hey, did you just send love into my head?"

"Guess I'm getting better at this Time Lord stuff, aye?" he said and Frazer nodded.

"Another thing that bothers me is the fact that it was YOU that fought for me."

"What is wrong with that? You are my brother," he said then placed his finger on Frazer's lips and shook his head. "Nah, listen tae me, you are my brother. It is true that you were adopted, but what I feel for you an' your siblings is the same thing I feel for Zoe an' Donny. True, they were born from my father's seed, but their mother is nae mine. Should I love them, or you, any less for it?"

"No," Frazer said with a shake of his head and Hamish smiled. "But Angus should have done it. He's the oldest."

"Well, like I told him, I'm really the oldest because you all came tae live here, in the future, while I was born an' lived in the past," Hamish said and Frazer thought for a few minutes.

"Then why did you ask for his help?"

"Well, who am I tae have all the fun while my family just sits there an' watches?" he asked and Frazer laughed.

"Aye, that would be selfish of you," he said and Hamish nodded.

"So, Brother, shall we head off tae the pub an' raise some glasses tae once again winning the good fight?" he asked and Frazer moved back, taking hold of Hamish's elbow.

"Lead the way, Brother!" he said as they walked away while Loch slid down under the water and slowly swam away.


	113. Chapter 113

Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen

The Doctor sat with Rain and Rose on their sofa while he chatted with them and Alan. Alan and Rose were spending the night with them along with Christopher. They decided that in the morning they would go down to New York to JFK Airport and ride in an airplane from there to Heathrow just to give their children the experience of riding in one. Both the Doctor and Alan liked for their children to be familiar with every facet of the human experience and to fall in love with Earth and its people the way they did and they realized the other day that Christopher, Chaska, Sokanon, Namid and Hope had never ridden in an airplane before. The Doctor figured he had his Stattenheim remote control and could call his TARDIS to them wherever they landed so they could take the trip without worrying about how to get back.

For the moment, the older children were out at the cinema while the Doctor made his four year old daughter go to bed and get some sleep so she would have enough energy for the trip. Rose and Alan were telling them about a trip they just took to the Amazon and the boat ride they took down the Amazon River. While they were talking, the Doctor saw movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Hope standing halfway down the stairs staring at him quietly.

"Oi," the Doctor said fondly as everyone looked where he was looking, "what are you doing up? You know that's against the rules. You're s'posed to be dancing and singing in Dreamland right about now."

"There's a monster under my bed, Daddy," Hope said.

Alan got up, pranced over and slammed his arm down on the banister while he stared at her.

"What's this?" Alan said.

"There's a monster under my bed, Daddy Alan," Hope said, pointing upstairs.

"Who told you that you could have a monster under your bed? We didn't authorize any pets for you," Alan said with mock sternness.

"Make the monster go away," Hope said to him as she pointed up the stairs.

"Should I take this, Brother?" Alan asked the Doctor.

"Be my guest. You're an expert at monster catching," he said.

"Okey-dokey, let me at that freak!" Alan said, coming around the banister and hurrying upstairs. "I'll soon sort this intruder out!"

Rain walked over to Hope who was still standing there looking up at the top floor.

"Baby, you want some milk before you go back to bed?" Rain asked her.

She nodded and was about to come down the stairs when they suddenly heard Alan bellowing from Hope's bedroom.

"GET OUT OF HERE, SPAWN OF SATAAAAAAAAN!" Alan screamed.

Hope turned and stared upwards while everyone else laughed.

"NO! DON'T POSSESS ME!" Alan screamed. "RIGHT! IT'S TIME FOR TIME LORD TOES UP THE BUM TIME!"

Hope looked at her mother who was giggling.

"Is he beating up that monster?" she asked Hope.

Hope grinned and nodded and Rain laid her hand on top of her head while she looked up. Alan breathed a sigh of relief as he came down the stairs.

"Blimey, that was one strong monster, gave me some trouble but I finally sent him on his merry way."

He stopped in front of Hope.

"Room is monster free, all is well now," he said, patting her on the head. "You can mosey back up to bed now."

"I want milk," Hope said.

"Really? Me too. I need some refreshment after my life or death struggle with the monster."

Hope giggled as Alan picked her up and carried her back down the stairs.

"Golly gee, I'm so tired. Your monster was huge. Took all my strength just to subdue it," he said to Hope as he carried her to the kitchen.

Rain was about to sit back down when she heard a knock on the door.

"Wow, we're suddenly very busy," she said as she walked to it.

She opened the door and smiled when she saw Amato, Peri, Shilah and Mingxia. All of them had leis around their necks and Peri and Mingxia were wearing grass skirts.

"Aloha," Amato said. "We just came from the Tiki Tapi Tooki Party on Festus. They have a huge immigrant Hawaiian population and we just came from the annual luau. What have you lot been up to?"

"Well, we were planning to take an airplane trip in the morning and we put Hope to bed so she'd be wide awake for it and she had a monster under the bed so Alan went up and got rid of it."

"Yes, I was brilliant at chasing away the monster under her bed," Alan said, coming out of the kitchen.

He and Hope both had glasses of milk and they walked over to Amato, Shilah, Peri and Mingxia.

"So, you went to a luau? Splendid. Did you eat poi?" Alan asked while the four of them came inside and Rain shut the door.

"Yes. Suckled pig, pineapple and poi, the three luau biggies," Amato said. "So you're going to go on an aeroplane ride in the morning?"

"Yup, you lot wanna come? We're going from New York to London. The children have never been on an aeroplane so we thought we'd let them experience it."

"What do you think, Per?" Feel like taking an aeroplane ride?" Amato asked his wife.

"Yeah, count me in, it sounds fun."

"Me too," Mingxia said. "I love it when we fly."

"So, I take it that means the menfolk are coming as well?" Alan said.

"Ball and chain here, mate," Amato teased as Peri slapped his arm playfully.

"Yeah, can't get away from this one." Shilah said. "We're kinda joined at the hip."

"Yeah, just like me and Doodle here," Alan said, lowering his head so it was next to Hope's. "Me and her, we is insep-per-a-ble! Aren't we?"

"NO!"

They laughed when Hope walked over to the Doctor and stood by him.

"Sorry, Brother, apparently she likes me more," the Doctor said smugly as Alan froze in the position he was in. "And by the way, I think you can stand up now. We don't like looking at your fat bum."

"What?" Alan said as Amato and Shilah nudged each other.

Alan straightened up and stomped over to the Doctor who was staring at him calmly.

"Apology or duel, make your choice!" Alan said to him.

"Um…neither. I choose sofa, bye!"

Hope and Rain followed the Doctor as he walked back to the sofa. Alan noticed Rose was about to follow him. With lightning speed, he wrapped his free arm around her body.

"No, mustn't!" he said, as he pulled her close. "You are my ball and chain!"

"Mingxia," Rose said, looking around Alan at her. "Could you help me?"

Mingxia walked around Alan. Alan's mouth dropped open when she grabbed his arm and pulled back.

"Thank you," Rose said as she stepped away from him.

Mingxia let go and patted Alan on the head when he eyed her. She laughed and ran over to Shilah when he tried to grab her. Alan sighed and took a sip of his milk while he headed towards the sofa.

"Much maligned, me," he said as he plopped down beside Rose on the sofa. "Hope's the only one that appreciates me and even then she runs to her daddy when I could offer her so much more…like…a rocking horse. Oh, woe is me, struth!"

Rose caught Rain's eyes and shook her head as she rolled her eyes. Hope sat on her father's lap while she sipped her milk.

"Daddy, when we goin' on the plane ride?" Hope asked him.

"In the morning, Butterfly."

Hope took a sip of milk.

"Is it mornin' now?" she asked hopefully.

"Um…no," the Doctor said while everyone laughed. "Besides even if it was, we have to wait for your sisters and brothers to come home from the cinema. So you might as well calm down and relax."

"So the kids are at the cinema?" Amato said.

"What'd they go see?" Peri asked.

"Um…not sure. Knowing them it's some violent sci fi monster film that has no redeeming value. I'm sure since the boys are with them they didn't go see some soppy chick flick. Not unless they want to deal with Chas and Chris's vomit," the Doctor said. "But if you're coming with us, Mi-mi will be thrilled. You know she'll want all her homewreckers together with her one and only real dad."

Shilah discreetly flipped him off while the others except for Hope giggled. Hope walked over to Peri and sat on her lap while she finished off her milk. Peri smiled as she rubbed her back.

"Are you excited about going tomorrow?" she asked Hope.

"Yes, I wanna go on the aeroplane and go vrroooom!" she said.

"And when we get on the aeroplane and go vrrooom, I'm gonna go out on the wing and walk around!" Alan said.

"Really? I'd like to see that," Rain said.

"Okey-dokey, I'll wait till we get to cruising altitude and take a little jog on the wing and then I'll find your window and moon ya."

"And you're gonna be able to stick onto the wing like Spider-Man, eh?" Rain said while the Doctor snickered.

"Brother will sort that part out," Alan said, gesturing to the Doctor.

The Doctor looked at Rain.

"I will?" he said.

Rain shrugged and grinned.

"I guess you have until tomorrow to do it. In the meantime, I think it's time for you to go back to your monster-free bedroom now, Sweetie," she said, getting up and walking towards Hope. "You need to get some sleep so you can have fun tomorrow."

Hope gave her the empty glass. She set it on the coffee table and picked her up. Everyone waved at her as she waved back. Hope put her arms around her mother's neck while Rain walked to the stairs and carried her up to bed.


	114. Chapter 114

Chapter One Hundred Fourteen

Frankie snuggled against Duer while her head rested on his chest and his hearts thumped softly in her ear. She moved her fingers through the softy chest hairs while he smiled and kissed the top of her head. Her fingers moved down to his bellybutton when he got the idea that they were being watched and looked at what was sitting on the top of the couch.

Rose had made a chibi doll of his eleventh life so Frankie would have at least a small part of him after he went into exile but the doll now belonged to their four year old daughter, Faith. They were afraid that Elby, Faith had been calling the chibi that name since she was a year old, would either die or go into stasis when Duer was given back his tenth life but Elby was still alive and waved at them. It was wearing red and white pajamas and red velvet slippers and swung its tiny legs back and forth.

"What's wrong?" Frankie asked as Elby pointed toward the stairs and she sat up, looking at the top of the stairs. "Faith needs us?"

"Meepa," Elby said with a nod of its head and Frankie got off the couch, helping Duer to his feet. Carefully picking Elby off the couch, he followed Frankie to the stairs and they went upstairs. Heading down the hallway, they saw that the door to Faith's room was open and Elby pointed to the door. Nodding, Duer opened the door then moved his finger in front of the sensor that turned the lights up and he smiled.

The walls were a light pink color and the white wood four poster bed was to the left of the room. In the right corner was a toy replica of their house and the duvet and blankets of Elby's small bed sat on the floor of the tiny bedroom. Disney Princesses stickers were on the walls as Disney plush toys sat on the shelves and a play castle tent was sitting near the bed.

"Daddy," Faith said with a sniff and Duer placed Elby inside the tiny bedroom and Elby yawned, crawled onto the tiny bed and Frankie knelt down, covering the doll with the blankets and duvet. Pressing her fingers to her lips, she touched her fingers to the tiny head and Elby sighed, closed its eyes and snuggled under the duvet and blankets. She gently rubbed the small back and Elby made a soft sigh, drifting off to sleep.

"What's the matter, Sunshine?" Duer asked as he knelt next to the bed and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"I had a bad dream. These bad badgers made you go away," she said softly and Duer frowned. They had never talked about his exile and he blinked, gently stroking her hair.

"Why were they taking me away?" he asked when Frankie walked closer and knelt down next to Duer.

"They said that you, Uncle Amato and Uncle Doctor did something really bad and they sent all three of you away," Faith said then tears dripped from her eyes and she half buried her face into the pillow. "I don't want you to go!"

"Oh," he said when he stood up, gently picked her off the bed, sat down and folded his legs under him, holding her to his chest. "Shh, now, it's not going to happen. We're not going anywhere."

"But Cam said…" she said when he looked at Frankie and she growled.

"_Remind me to have a talk with your son in the morning!" _Frankie thought after setting up a privacy block.

"_Why is he MY son when he does something wrong?" _he thought and she smiled.

"Well, Cam is wrong. Now, you go back to sleep. You woke up Poor Elby and you know he's cranky if he doesn't get a full eight hours sleep," he said and a soft "meepa" came from the tiny house. "See?"

"No, I'm too scared," she said as she pulled Mumble Bumble, her teddy bear, against her chest and Duer kissed the top of her head.

"Do you want me to tell you a story?"

"Can't Uncle Adam tell me one? He's good at stories?" she asked and his eyes went wide.

"What? Are you telling me that I tell terrible stories?" he asked with a shocked look on his face.

"No," she said, snuggling closer. Her tiny fingers touched the hairs on his chest and she smiled. "You're really furry!"

"A big furry bear, me," he said with a smiled and kissed her hand. "So, do you want a story?"

"Yeah," she said as he rested his head on top of hers and wrapped his arms around her. He gently entered her mind as she giggled and he was dressed in a large bear costume with a bright blue tie around his neck. He sat down as she crawled into his lap and saw a small stage sitting to their left.

"Are you all snuggly?" Duer said in a low, growly voice and she nodded. "Tonight's story is "Rose White and the Ten Doctors."

"Daddy, it's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves!" she said and he looked at her.

"Who's telling the story here, hm?" he asked then ticked her armpits and she giggled. "Now, long ago, there lived a lovely princess named Rose White…"

The curtain opened to show a throne room set as the chibi of Rose walked onto the stage and was wearing a long white gown with long sleeves and a gold bow around its waist. Gold slippers were on its feet and a little crown sat on its head. It skipped around the stage as Faith watched it and she softly smiled.

"Rose White was the most bee-u-ti-ful princess in the whole world. The thing was, her step-mommy didn't like her," Duer said when the left side of the stage became dark and a lone spotlight lit the dark. Walking out onto the stage was the chibi of Donna, wearing a long black dress and slippers, and Faith looked up at Duer.

"Aunt Donna's going to be mad at you!" she teased and he shrugged.

"The mean step-mommy decided that she had to get rid of Rose White and sent for her royal huntsman," he said and a sound of horns blowing filled the air. A small spotlight appeared on the stage but no one came out and the horns sounded a second time. "THE MEAN STEP-MOMMY SENT FOR HER ROYAL HUNTSMAN!"

Suddenly small hands shoved the chibi of Jamie onto the stage as it turned and walked back off the stage. It was wearing a tan tunic, green tights, tan boots and a tan hat and small hands shoved it back on the stage while it protested. Brushing the tiny hands away, it stood on the stage and folded its arms over its chest.

"Awww!" Faith said and it glared at her.

"The huntsman listened while the mean step-mommy told him to take Rose White into the forest and leave her there!" Duer said as the chibi of Donna whispered into the ear of the chibi of Jamie and it looked at the chibi of Rose. Shrugging, the chibi of Jamie walked to the chibi of Rose and pushed it toward stage right. The chibi of Donna rubbed its hands as Faith watched the curtains close and looked up at Duer. "The huntsman took Rose White into the forest and the princess seemed happy to be walking in the woods."

The curtains opened as the chibi of Jamie peeked out from behind the curtain and shook its head. Duer nodded his head but the chibi of Jamie stuck its tongue out at him and stuck its head back behind the curtain. A loud meeping sound filled the air while the small hands shoved the chibi of Jamie out onto the stage and Faith giggled. The chibi of Rose followed it onstage as they walked along and the chibi of Rose skipped around the stage.

"Suddenly a loud grinding sound filled the air and the huntsman, not wanting to be on stage a second longer, booked it," Duer said and the chibi of Jamie smiled, running off the stage. The chibi of Rose stopped skipping as it looked at them and placed its hands on its hips, tapping its tiny foot. "Oh, sorry, then, out of nowhere, a large blue box appeared."

A white light appeared next to the chibi of Rose as a small TARDIS, pushed onstage by the chibis of Rain and Jenny, appeared and the chibi of Rose backed up.

"The doors opened and ten men called the Doctor walked out of the large blue box," Duer said and the chibis of his ten lives walked onto the stage.

"Now, the first one was called Doc," he said and the chibi of his first life nodded its head.

"What was the second one called?" Faith asked.

"His name was Hobo," he said and the chibi of his second life glared at him. "Then came Stretch, Big Teeth, Cricket, Bozo…"

The chibis of his third, fourth and sixth life growled as the chibi of his fifth life smiled and leaned against the small TARDIS.

"Daddy, those names are mean!" she said and Duer blinked, giving her a sad look.

"Cricket isn't a mean name," he said and the chibi of his fifth life nodded.

"Given nice names to the rest of them," she said and he nodded.

"Next came…Professor, Handsome Warrior, Big Ears…" he said and the chibi of his ninth life's eyes went wide.

"Daddy!" Faith said and he smiled.

"Finally, the last one was…Pretty Boy," he said and the chibi of Duer smiled at him, giving him a wink. "Now, seeing a young princess lost in the woods made the ten Doctors very concerned."

The ten chibis walked to the chibi of Rose and the chibi of Duer's first life gently tapped her shoulder.

"Doc asked the princess how she got lost in the wood and she told them that her step-mommy's huntsman had run off after taking her for a walk. The ten Doctors didn't like the sound of this, because there are a lot of scary things in the woods that could hurt her, and offered to take her home," Duer said and the chibi of Duer took the chibi of Rose's hand and pointed toward the small TARDIS. "All of a sudden, they were surrounded by daleks!"

The chibis gathered around the chibi of Rose when something smacked into the back of the set that was used as the woods and it tumbled to the floor with a soft thud. Six small daleks rolled all over the stage, bumping into each other, and one of the small daleks tipped over, the top falling open and the chibi of Jack rolled out onto the stage. It stood up as it jumped up and down and the tops of the other five daleks opened, the chibis of Adam, the Doctor, Ianto, Amato and Koschei shrugging their shoulders at it.

"Well, seeing that the daleks have defeated themselves, the ten Doctors lead the princess out of the forest," Duer said and Faith's face was buried in the soft fur. "Oh, Sunshine, are you scared?"

"No," she said with a giggle and he kissed the top of her head. The curtains closed then opened again and the set was decorated as the throne room again and the chibi of Donna was sitting on a small throne.

"The huntsman, uh…" Duer said as the chibi of Jamie slowly stuck its head out from behind the curtain and shook its head, glaring at him. "Fine, a letter from the huntsman, who went home to the Highlands…" The chibi of Jamie looked at him then smiled before ducking back behind the curtain. "…told the mean step-mommy that he had left the princess in the forest and the mean step-mommy was so happy, she did a boogie dance."

The chibi of Donna arched an eyebrow but didn't get up and Duer sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Just then the sound of the TARDIS filled the air and the mean step-mommy watched as the TARDIS materialized," he said and the small TARDIS, pushed onstage by the chibis of Jack and Ianto, appeared on the stage. "The mean step-mommy was so mad that she turned purple and exploded in a puff of smoke!"

A loud pop filled the air as a small cloud of smoke filled the stage and the chibi of Donna waved its arms and the chibis of Jack and Ianto ran off the stage.

"Ok, having failed that, she just stormed offstage and was never heard from again," Duer said and the chibi of Donna nodded, walking offstage. "The doors opened as the princess walked out and was so happy to be home."

The smoke had cleared as the chibis of Rose and Duer's ten lives walked out of the small TARDIS and the chibi of Rose jumped up and down.

"She gave each of the Doctors a kiss but was sad because she didn't want her new friends to leave," Duer said as the chibi of Rose pretended to cry when, suddenly, a toy tank crashed through the set and stopped within inches of the chibi of Rose. "What?"

"Who's that, Daddy?" Faith asked as the hatch on top of the tank opened and the chibi of Alan, dressed in green, black and brown army clothes, a green helmet and black boots, hopped out of the toy tank and stood with its hands on its hips.

"When did I lose control of this story?" Duer asked with a sigh as the chibi of Alan hopped off the toy tank, walked to the chibi of Rose, picked the chibi of Rose up and carried the chibi of Rose offstage. "Ok, right, Prince, uh, Commander Alan rescues the princess, takes her to his secret base and the ten, very confused Doctors go back into the TARDIS."

Shrugging, the chibis of his ten lives headed back inside the small TARDIS and the curtains closed.

"The end," Duer said then left Faith's mind and she smiled up at him.

"That was a funny story, Daddy," she said as he kissed the top of her head and she closed her eyes. He gently rubbed her back until she fell asleep then he gently slid her onto the bed, tucked her under the duvet and slid her teddy bear under her arm. Hushing Frankie, they quietly left the room as he turned back to look at Faith then turned the light off, closing the door behind them.


	115. Chapter 115

Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen

The next morning Hope was sleeping peacefully when the Doctor and Rain stuck their heads around the corner and looked at her. As the triplets grew, they added more rooms on to the house so they could have their own space so she was sleeping in their old room.

"Apparently, Brother solved the monster problem last night," the Doctor said softly.

"Yup, looks like it."

The Doctor looked at her when she chuckled.

"What?" he said.

"Just thinking how ironic it is that your daughter imagines monsters in her room when you fight enough real monsters out there."

"Well, she's just practicing for the day she'll help me fight the real ones," the Doctor said.

They came into the room and stood by her bed. They stared down at her angelic face for a moment.

"Aw, why must we wake her?" the Doctor said. "Why don't we go get her bronzed so she'll stay this way forever?"

"You wanna dip our child in bronze and kill her so you can have her be forever four?" Rain said, amused.

"The way you say it, it sounds positively evil," the Doctor teased. "Okay, we'll just cover her in wax and be very careful so she'll be alive when the process is done."

"Gee, I think I'd rather have her die," Rain said as the Doctor put his arm around her and nuzzled her hair.

The Doctor bent over with Rain. He kissed her cheek while Rain gently shook her.

"Hoooope," the Doctor whispered in her ear. "Time to get up and have fuuuun!"

Hope giggled and pulled the cover up over her head.

"Oi!" the Doctor said, pulling it back down while Hope giggled and kept her eyes closed. "You stop that and wake up. We have to go to New York so we can see stuff before we hop a plane and go to London to see even more stuff."

"Is Daddy Alan going?" Hope asked him.

"Yes. Why? You afraid your monster is gonna follow ya?" the Doctor said.

"He's funny. I like him."

"I can be funny too," the Doctor said with mock anger. "Why is he your favorite? I'm more lovable than he is. I'm a big ole teddy bear."

"Most of the time," Rain said.

She laughed when the Doctor eyed her.

"Ignore your mum," he said to Hope. "Right. Up and at em, sleepy head. You're not asleep and you're not dead!"

Hope sat up and gave her mother and father a kiss. Rain went to get her some clothes for the day while the Doctor rubbed her head.

"Hope you're wide awake because we're gonna have a busy day," he said.

Rain brought her some blue jean shorts and a Toy Story t-shirt with pink butterfly underwear and white socks. The Doctor ruffled his daughter's hair and walked out of the room so the women could have some privacy. On the way, he passed by the bathroom and saw Alan brushing his teeth.

"Good morning, Brother," the Doctor said.

Alan had the toothbrush in his mouth so he gave him a cheery wave and spat out what was in his mouth after taking it out.

"Good morning, ready to split the Big Apple open and take a bite?" Alan said.

"Depends. How much are we going to split it open?" the Doctor said.

"I say, we raze Times Square to the ground. That oughta get the Yanks attention!" Alan said.

"Um…no, let's leave Times Square alone today," the Doctor said.

"You disappoint me, Brother," Alan said. "Time was you couldn't wait to knock down a building and now it's let's don't and say we did. You're getting soft in your old age."

The Doctor was about to protest when suddenly Rose ran up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle.

"Yes, he's a softie!" she said, poking his stomach before running away.

"You're gonna think softie, Tarty, when I turn your brain to mush!" the Doctor said, running after his giggling sister.

Alan shrugged and put his toothbrush back in his mouth. He started to brush his teeth when Hope walked into the bathroom and stared at him. Alan raised his eyebrow and stared at her out of the corner of his eye while he brushed his teeth.

Whatcha doin'?" Hope asked him.

Alan took the toothbrush out of his mouth and spit.

"Makin' biscuits, want some?" he said.

"No, you're not!"

"It's a fair cop. You're right. I'm not makin' biscuits, I'm makin' spit, want some?"

"No."

"No? Okay, suit yourself," Alan said with a shrug.

Hope heard a squeal followed by hysterical laughter coming from downstairs. She went out into the hallway and looked behind her when her mother came up behind her.

"Apparently, your daddy is tormenting your other mother," Rain said to Hope as she put her hand on her daughter's head.

They went downstairs and paused halfway down when they saw the Doctor holding Rose from behind while he tried to lick her cheek.

"Quit!" Rose squealed as he let a bit of drool start to come out of his mouth onto her cheek. "That gets on me, you are dying and regenerating!"

The Doctor sucked up the spit.

"Don't bother me. We have the means to control our regenerations now. You make me regenerate, I'll just turn myself back into this gorgeous body," he said before he let the drool come out of his mouth again.

"Hey!" Hope said, going down the stairs.

"Hope! Help! Get your daddy away from me!" Rose said, holding out her hand to her.

"Hey! Daddy, don't!" Hope said as she ran over to him.

While he was doing that, Shilah, Amato, their wives and Christopher and the triplets were watching from the kitchen. All of them were eating cereal while they viewed the chaos.

"Think they'll do this on the plane?" Peri said between bites of corn flakes.

"Ten quid says they will," Shilah said.

"Should we board another plane then so we won't die when they cause it to crash?" Mingxia asked her husband.

Shilah thought for a moment.

"Nah, I'm not afraid of regenerating," he said.

Meanwhile, Alan came downstairs and stopped as he observed the scene in front of him.

"Pardon! Are you drooling on my wife?" he asked the Doctor.

The Doctor sucked up the spit.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I should be the one to do it. I'm married to her. Allow me!"

Rose squealed and finally broke free of the Doctor when Alan rushed over. She ran over to Amato and hid behind him as the Doctor and Alan laughed.

"What makes you think I'll protect you?" Amato asked as he looked behind at Rose.

"Because you're different. You're not in that body anymore," Rose said, pointing to the Doctor and Alan.

"And? What makes you think I'm more mature in this body?" Amato asked. "I can be an immature brat too. Watch."

Peri squealed when he grabbed her and gave her a big wet sloppy kiss on the cheek. She grinned at him and he kissed her properly on the lips.

"Eww, there's an image that'll be burned into my brain forever more," Alan said as Amato flipped him off.

After they finished their breakfast, the Doctor and his family gathered inside the TARDIS. He set the coordinates and within a few minutes the TARDIS was heading for New York.


	116. Chapter 116

Chapter One Hundred Sixteen

"DADDY!" was what woke Duer out of a sound sleep as he snorted and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Frankie rolled over as he hushed her and kissed her hair. New Gallifrey weather was normally sunny and warm but it did rain and snow and thunderstorms were mild, with only small rumbles of thunder. But there were some storms that raged like the one outside and the lightning lit up the sky.

"Coming," Duer said as he shuffled down the hallway and M'fara, the timwof he brought home from his exile, was looking up at him with sad eyes. "Ok, go sleep in our room but not on the bed."

"_Thank you, Friend Duer," _M'fara thought as he ran into the bed room and Duer smiled. Heading toward his three year old daughter's room, he opened the door and saw her sitting up on the bed. Elby, the chibi of his eleventh life, was sitting on her lap as they both shook and she rocked back and forth on the bed.

"Hey, Princess, what are you two doing up?" he asked when the thunder roared in the room and Faith screamed, diving under the duvet. Sighing, Duer moved the duvet back when he slid his arms under her and picked her and Elby off the bed. Faith placed her head on his shoulder while Elby snuggled against his chest and Duer walked down the hallway, heading for his bedroom.

Frankie watched between the flashes of lightning as he carried Faith to the bed and saw M'fara lying on the floor near his side of the bed. Carefully stepping over him, Duer handed Faith to Frankie then climbed under the duvet and Faith snuggled against him, placing her head on his chest. Frankie held onto a shaking Elby as she stroked the soft hair and kissed the top of the chibi's head.

"Daddy, I'm scared!" Faith said as he hushed her and kissed the top of her head. Elby meeped when the thunder roared in the room and Frankie covered its small head, sending love into its mind. Faith buried her face into Duer's chest as he smiled and closed his eyes, pulling Jamie's mind forward.

"_Jamie, are you awake?" _he thought and Jamie softly laughed inside his head.

"_I am now," _Jamie thought.

"_Sorry, but we have a problem. Faith is scared of the storm."_

"_Och, so is Wee Jock. Poor dog's lying between us and Jenna's trying tae calm him down," _Jamie thought and showed them his West White Highland Terrier snuggled between them and Jenna gently stroked the frightened dog's head.

"_Uncle Jamie, will you tell me a story?" _Faith thought.

"_I have a better idea," _Jamie thought then set up a privacy block and whispered something to Duer.

"_Right, thanks," _Duer thought then released Jamie's mind and looked at Faith.

"Now, Uncle Jamie told me how to make it so you're not afraid anymore," he said and she looked up at him.

"_Excuse me, Brother, but I think I need to know what Jamie told you because I have a really scared little girl in my bed," _the Doctor thought as Duer smiled and shook his head.

"_Fine, but I am going to need a little help," _he thought and set up a privacy block. Suddenly Duer appeared in their heads and was lying on a soft cloud with the Doctor, Faith, Hope, Rain, Frankie, M'fara and Elby. Faith and Hope were snuggled against their daddies as four walls with windows surrounded them and the sounds of s storm raged outside the walls.

"Right, what Uncle Jamie told me was how to not be afraid of storms," he said as Faith, Hope and Elby looked at him and M'fara placed its head on his leg.

"How do you do that, Uncle Duer?" Hope asked, laying her head on the Doctor's shoulder.

"Well, first off, can you hear the wind?" he said when they heard the wind moaning and screeching against the glass then it stopped and they looked at the window.

"Hold on!" Alan said when he walked to the large fan and kicked it. Walking around the large fan, he saw that it had come unplugged and shrugged, plugging it back into the socket. The wind started blowing as he yelped and was blown away by the sudden gust of wind. "HELP!"

"Coming," Adam shouted as he and John ran to the large fan and turned it off, watching Alan drop down onto the cloud and moaned.

"Ok, remind me WHY we're doing this?" he asked when the Doctor coughed and pointed to Faith and Hope. "Oh."

"Now," Duer said as the girls looked at him and he smiled down at Faith, gently stroking her hair. "We all know that the wind can't hurt you, right?"

"I think it hurt Uncle Alan," Hope said and Faith giggled.

"Alright, normally, it doesn't."

"And Cam says that tornados are big winds and they hurt people," Faith said and Duer looked at Frankie, arching one eyebrow at her.

"Yep, they do, but we are talking about the wind outside the window. It's just making that noise because it's pressing against the glass."

"Oh!" the girls said together and Duer smiled.

"The next thing you have to listen to is the hail," Duer said as they heard the soft ticking sound and looked up at the ceiling.

"What is hail made from, Daddy?" Hope asked and the Doctor thought for a few seconds.

"Hail is hard frozen water," he said and they nodded. They watched as the hail fell outside of the windows when the hail stopped and they heard footsteps on the roof.

"Hey, do we have any more hail?" Jack's voice asked.

"Nope," Alan's voice said.

"We have ping pong balls," Adam's voice said and the girls giggled when ping pong balls started falling outside the windows.

"Now, it is true that getting hit by hail does hurt, but, like the wind, it is out there and we are in here," Duer said as the girls nodded and M'fara and Elby yawned, closing their eyes. "Ok, the next thing to listen to is the rain."

They waited for the rain to start when Adam and Alan appeared on the cloud and sank down next to the Doctor and Duer.

"Um, what are you doing in here?" the Doctor asked and Alan sighed, snuggling down beside him.

"Rose won't let us use the hose," Alan grumbled.

"Yeah, she said something about us opening the windows and squirting you," Adam said and plopped down next to Duer, placing his head on Duer's shoulder.

"Were you going to do that?" Rain asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, but we wouldn't have gotten the girls wet," Alan said and reached over, patting Hope's head.

"Then it's a good thing that she stopped you," Frankie said and Adam stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry at her. The rain started falling as Faith and Hope smiled and snuggled closer to their daddies.

"Raindrops are falling on my head…" Alan started singing when the window opened and he looked up, seeing Rose with the hose in her hands. "Ah, look, there's Miss Party Pooper. Why did you stop?"

"I thought I heard a cat being skinned in here," she said when Alan got up and his eyes went wide. Rose yelped as he dived out of the window then chased after her and the girls giggled. Alan stuck his head back in the window when he whistled and Adam got up, climbed out of the window, closed it and went to catch up with Alan.

"They're silly," Hope laughed when the lightning flashed and the thunder roared around the room. The girls screamed as they buried their faces in the Doctor and Duer's chests and the room became dark. M'fara howled as Elby shook and Frankie gently rocked it.

"Shh, now, I want you to watch the lightning," Duer said as they watched the lightning flashing in the room and the girls blinked. "See, it's just light. It can't hurt you."

"Cam said that lightning can kill you," Faith said and Duer glanced over at Frankie and she shrugged.

"Yeah, well, Cam is a doody head," Duer said and Faith and Hope giggled.

"Don't tell her things like that!" Frankie said and gently kicked his shin.

"Yeah, don't be using words like doody around my daughter!" Rain said and Duer pouted.

"Sorry," he said and sniffed.

"Don't cry, Daddy," Faith said as she gently patted his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

"But Mommy and Aunt Rain are being mean to me," he said and pouted.

"Aw, I'm sorry," Frankie said when she leaned closer and kissed his cheek, making him smile.

"So am I," Rain said and he nodded.

"Where was I?" he asked when the thunder roared through the room and the girls screamed. "Right, now, thunder is just noise, loud and unexpected noise. It can't hurt you."

"He's right," the Doctor said as Duer looked at the girls and smiled.

"So, all you have to do is pick your favorite thing about the storm and listen to that. If you do, then you can go to sleep and forget about the rest of it," he said as they nodded and the walls and cloud faded. Duer looked at Faith then at Elby and Elby was sound asleep, curled up in Frankie's arms. M'fara was also asleep as Duer smiled and sighed.

"Daddy, I think I think I found my sound," Faith said and he looked down at her.

"And what is it?" he asked.

"It's the thumping sound," she said with a yawn then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"What thumping sound?" he whispered as Frankie pointed to his chest and he looked down, watching Faith's head rise and fall as he breathed. "Oh."

Frankie closed her eyes while holding onto Elby as she drifted off to sleep and Duer wrapped his arms around his daughter, listening to the sounds of his family sleeping peaceful around him and smiled.


	117. Chapter 117

Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen

The Doctor landed the TARDIS near Times Square for a bit of sightseeing before their flight. The TARDIS powered down and he turned to look at his family.

"Now, we will behave ourselves out here. No running around and screaming and acting like monkeys…and no razing Times Square," he said, pointing to Alan.

"But…" Alan said as everyone giggled, "I wanna pretend to be Godzilla and go smash things."

"No. I forbid your pretending to be Godzilla," the Doctor said.

"But…No, you can't make me. I wanna be Godzilla!" Alan said as he hurried to the front door. "Godzilla smash!"

Everyone laughed when the Doctor ran up behind him and grabbed him from behind.

"Hey, let go. Godzilla wanna smash!" Alan said.

His eyes widened when the Doctor began to rock him gently back and forth.

"Shhhh, close your eyes and sleep," he said to Alan as everyone else sniggered.

"Sleep? I don't wanna sleep, I wanna smash! Godzilla smash!"

"Lullaby and good night…" the Doctor sang as he rocked him.

"No, don't put me to sleep, Godzilla smash! I…"

Everyone laughed when Alan dropped his head onto his chin and began to snore loudly. The Doctor let go and gathered him up into his arms.

"There, there, sleep now," the Doctor said, carrying him over to the jump seat while everyone laughed hysterically.

Alan lay there for a few seconds and then leapt up. He picked Hope up and twirled her around as she squealed out in delight. Then he and everyone else went to the front door and went outside. They were in an alley near Times Square. They stood for a moment while the Doctor shut the door and Alan let out a low whistle when he saw the densely packed crowd walking by them.

"Ooo, lots of people to run in terror when Godzilla smash," he said.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, will you get off that?" Rain said to him.

"No, Godzilla wanna smash," Alan said with a shrug.

"How about Godzilla helps out his brother, King Kong," the Doctor said.

"Yeees?" Alan said to him.

"Will you carry Hope on your shoulders so she won't get crushed in the crowd?"

"I would be honored, King Kong," Alan said.

He squatted down and the Doctor grabbed Hope under the arms and lifted her onto his shoulders. Hope held on to Alan while he stood up and grabbed her legs.

"Now…I have Godzilla Junior and we can both go smash!" he said, stomping his feet while Hope cheered.

"Something is definitely not right with that boy," Peri said as everyone else followed him out of the alley.

The moment they stepped onto the pavement they quickly had to dodge the packed crowds.

"Ugh! Too many people," Sokanon said, backing up towards her father.

"Yes, it's quite crowded here," the Doctor said as they tried to stick together while they made their way through the crowd.

Amato grunted when he was jostled by a businesswoman who was busy talking on her cell phone.

"WATCH IT, BUDDY!" she yelled at him as she went past.

Peri grabbed his arm when he raised it and balled his fist.

"Don't. She's not worth it," she said to her husband.

"Yeah, well, maybe she'll pay more attention to her surroundings if someone snaps that mobile of hers in two," he said as he lowered his fist and took her hand.

They walked along the pavement taking in the sights. While they were walking, the Doctor noticed a man standing behind a large wooden table. He was playing Find the Queen and collecting money from gullible people who thought they would be able to pick out which card on the table was the queen of hearts. The Doctor smirked. He stopped his family and stepped to the front of the table. The young man behind the table beamed.

"Hello, sir, care to try to find the lady?" he said, holding up the queen of hearts and showing it to him. "All you have to do is follow the lady's movement and guess where she ends up. Because you're such a nice looking fellow, I'll let you do it for only five dollars. Five dollars and you have a chance to win this money right here," he said, holding up a black Stetson that was filled with different denominations of greenbacks. "Care to try, sir?"

"Yes, I think I will," the Doctor said.

He used his magic wallet and made a five dollar bill. The man grinned when he handed it to him and he added it to the pile of cash in the hat. The man then proceeded to move three cards around on the table while he chanted, "Find the lady, find the lady, where's she hiding? Find the lady!" He did this for thirty seconds and then stepped back slightly and pointed to the three cards facedown on the table.

"Okay, sir, where's the lady hiding?" he said.

"In the inner pocket of your jacket. You put her there when you did some sleight-of-hand and exchanged her for another card," the Doctor said smugly.

The man hesitated, not sure what to do while the crowd watched him. Before he could react, the Doctor seized the lapel of his black leather jacket, went inside his inner pocket and pulled out the queen of hearts.

"I win," he said, showing the card to the shocked man. "Give me the money."

Before anyone could do anything, the man grabbed the hat and fled through the crowd with the money while everyone booed. The Doctor put the card down on the table and shrugged.

"Ah well, easy come, easy go," he said. "Perhaps he learned his lesson about conning people. Anyway, let's go."

He and his family followed the crowd around the table as it dispersed and headed off to look at some of the shops.

After about an hour, they went back to the TARDIS. They didn't buy anything, preferring to wait till they got to London to do the shopping. Before the Doctor took the TARDIS to JFK, they decided to each pack a small suitcase so it would look less suspicious. All of them grabbed a small suitcase and threw in some random clothes. Once the suitcases were labeled and ready, Rain took a small carry-on bag and filled it with some things for Hope and the children so they could have something to do on the plane. Then they gathered in the console room and the Doctor took the TARDIS to JFK airport.

They landed in a corner of the parking garage out of the way of traffic. The Doctor increased the strength of the perception filter just to be sure the ship would be left alone during their flight and after looking out the door and making sure no one was around, they all stepped outside and headed towards the door that would take them inside. As they headed for the door they listened to the announcements on the tannoy systems while Hope held on to her mother's hand.

"Attention," Alan said as they walked, "if you spot a suspicious package, give it to the man with the ruffly hairdo. It may be a bomb but on the other hand it may be biscuits and the man with the ruffly hairdo is daft enough to press his luck for the sake of some baked goods."

Attention," Rain said, "if you spot the man with the ruffly hairdo, call security. The man is nuttier than a squirrel and he wants to smash your city, put him in the loony bin before your city becomes a pile of rubble."

"Attention," Alan said, eyeing Rain while Hope giggled, "if you see a woman near the man with the ruffly hairdo, grab her instead. She's a pest with major cooties and she needs to be decontaminated and put away for a long, long time."

"Gee, that could mean me, Mingxia, Peri, your wife, Sokanon, Namid, Hope, there are more women here than just me."

"Attention, If you spy the woman name Rain, grab her," Alan said. "Better?"

"Not really, since the moment someone grabbed me, my husband here would throttle them so it would be bad for anyone who answered the announcement," Rain said.

"And we'd join in too," Peri said.

"Nah, I'd keep you out of the fray, wouldn't want you damaging your pretty face," Amato said.

"Aw, how sweet," Peri said, looking back at him.

Alan watched as they kissed each other. He looked at Rose and made a fish face as he puckered up.

"I'll kiss ya, but not like that," Rose said.

Alan stopped making the fish face and kissed Rose. They went up to the British Airlines counter and checked in their bags. After that, they got in the queue for the security check. They slipped off their shoes and the Doctor bent down to Hope.

"Sweetie, gotta let me have your shoes," he said to her.

Hope frowned.

"Why?" she asked.

"Cause we need to put them in a little container so they can check them."

"Why?"

"Cause some thickhead was stupid enough to try to hide explosives in his shoes and because of that we all have to suffer," he said. "So will you let me have your shoes?"

Hope held up her foot and the Doctor slipped her shoe off. Then she held up her other shoe and he took it before giving her a kiss. They went through security one by one and then headed for their terminal.


	118. Chapter 118

Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen

"No, really, we'll be fine!" Cameron said as he gently shoved the Doctor, Rain, Koschei, Julie, Duer and Frankie out the door and shut it behind him. Panting, he stood against the door as he looked at four year old Aderyn, Hope and Faith and smiled. "Right, now that they're gone, who wants a flying lesson?"

"Me!" the girls said together and he smiled. Nodding his head, Cameron ran around the living room as he removed the cushions off the couches and chairs and set them on the floor. He moved the coffee table back against the wall and the girls grinned.

"Right, now that we're set, who want to go first?"

"Me!" the girls shouted together again and Cameron smiled, sitting on the floor. They walked to him as he reached over and picked up the pink bicycle helmets and placed them on their heads. Closing his eyes, he started breathing slow and steady when they girls looked at him and Hope winked. Before he move, the girls ran to him and started tickling him.

"Hey!" he said as the girls kept ticking him and Cameron laughed. "N-no! Wait! This isn't fair!"

"TIcky ticky, Unca Cammy, ticky ticky!" Aderyn said as she sat on his chest and he gently tried to get her off of him. He picked her up then whispered in her ear and she giggled. Hope and Faith screeched as Cameron and Aderyn wiggled their fingers and chased them around the room. Cameron grabbed Hope as she squirmed in his arms and he tickled her armpits, setting her down on the floor. Aderyn has Faith corners as she ticked her and the laughter filled the air.

"Ohh-key, that's enough," Cameron said then went to lie down on the floor and breathed hard through his nose. The girls crawled to him as he smiled and they rested next to him. "Whew."

Faith to the helmet off as she rested her head on his chest and his hearts thumped double time in her ear. Cameron smiled then closed his eyes and wiggled his fingers. The girls giggled when they started floating into the air and stuck out their arms to the side. Cameron slowly his breathing when he opened his eyes and moved his fingers, making the girls fly around the room. He knew where the furniture was as he pointed and they soared toward the dining room. They giggled and swooped around and under the dining room table, after Cameron moved the chairs out of the way, and he smiled.

"Are my little Tinkerbells having fun?" he asked.

"Yeah!" the girls said together as he wiggled his fingers and they landed, sitting next to him.

"So, Ladies, what do you want to do next?" he asked and they looked at each other.

"Tea party!" they said and he blinked.

"Ohh-key," he said and tapped his fingers on the floor.

The girls sat at the child's table as they wore three of Faith's Disney Princess dress up dresses and Faith had a toy crown on her head. They chatted and giggled when Faith rang the silver bell on the table and they looked at the door. Cameron, dressed in a tuxedo, walked into the room and held the tray with the teapot and snack cakes in his hands. He stopped at the table when he did a little bow and smiled at them.

"Your tea, Miss," he said when he placed the tray on the table then served the tea and the girls smiled at him. Standing up, he did a little bow then left the room and stood against the wall. Rolling his eyes, he headed down the stairs and softly whistled "I'm A Little Tea Pot".

Faith, Hope and Aderyn held onto the water guns as they moved slowly up the stairs and Hope arched the floppy hat on her head. They walked down the hallway when something moved in Duer and Frankie's bedroom and Faith hushed them. They walked into the bedroom as they looked around and Hope pointed to the lump under the duvet. The lump moved while they giggled and slowly moved onto the bed. The lumped shivered as they yelled then dived on it and the lump flattened out on the bed. Faith moved the duvet back as they looked at the pillows and frowned.

"That wasn't Unca Cammy," Aderyn said when the bathroom door opened and they slowly got off the bed. Walking slowly toward the door, they heard something scamper out of the room and spun around, watching the dust ruffle moving.

"Ah-woo!" Cameron howled as they ran into the hallway and saw his feet vanishing into his room. The girls giggled as he made growling and snarling noises and they headed down the hallway. Running into the room, they saw that the wardrobe door was half open and Hope pointed to it. They moved closer when the door opened and Cameron jumped out at them. He grabbed hold of Faith when he picked her up and over his shoulder and she giggled. "Nope, you're mine now!"

"Put her down!" Hope shouted as she and Aderyn fired the water guns and he gasped. The water hit him in the chest as he let Faith down then dramatically felt to the floor and closed his eyes.

"Uncle Cam?" Faith said but he didn't move and she walked to him, kneeling on the floor.

"Shh, I'm dead," he said and they giggled.

"No, you're not," Hope said, pulling up on of his eyelids.

"Yep, I am worm food," he said and Aderyn blinked.

"Unca Cammy is a worm?" she asked and he tried not to laugh.

"I mean that the worms are going to eat me," he said and her eyes went wide.

"No, I don't want the worms to eat you!" she said when she started shaking and he opened his eyes.

"Oh, Sweetie, it's ok," he said when she ran to him and he scooped her into his lap. Gently rocking her, he sent love into her mind and kissed the top of her head. "I don't think we should play this game anymore."

"No, it's too scary," Hope said as she and Faith sat down next to him and leaned against him. Sighing, he nodded as they sat quietly on the floor and he wrapped his arms around Aderyn, gently rocking her back and forth.

"Ok, we have snacks, juice and popcorn. Now, what do you want to watch?" Cameron asked as he walked to the entertainment center and looked at the Disney dvds.

"We want to watch the Princess and the Frog," Hope said as Cameron nodded and placed the dvd into the dvd player. Turning the dvd on, he sat on the couch as the girls snuggled against him and he placed his feet on the coffee table. Handing the remote to Faith, Cameron smiled and popped some popcorn into his mouth.

"Well, they haven't burned the house down," Frankie said as they walked up the walk and Rain nodded.

"And we didn't get any phone calls from Martha or Grace, which means they're in one piece," the Doctor said.

"I'm just worried about how much damage they've done to the furniture," Duer said as he took the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Opening the door, they walked inside the house then stopped near the couch and Frankie softly smiled.

"Aw," she whispered and Duer took the digital camera out of the drawer.

Cameron's head was lying on the back of the couch while Aderyn was curled up at the end of the couch and both Faith and Hope had their heads resting on his shoulders.

Frankie took a few pictures while Julie and Rain softly walked to the couch and lifted Aderyn and Hope off the couch. Hope softly moaned as Rain hushed her and the Doctor nodded at Duer. Duer waved as they left and Julie slid Aderyn into Koschei's arms.

"Baba?" Aderyn mumbled as he hushed her and Julie whispered thanks. They left as Duer gently lifted Faith off the couch and she wrapped her arms around his neck, waking up a bit.

"Did you have fun with Uncle Cameron?" he whispered and she nodded. Kissing her fingers, he walked to the stairs then went upstairs and Frankie gently sat on the couch next to Cameron.

"Hunh?" he snorted when he blinked the sleep out of his eyes and she smiled at him. "Oh, you're home."

"It's not easy, is it?" she asked as he slid down onto the couch and placed his head on her lap.

"No, it's a piece of cake," he said as he closed his eyes and she stroked his hair. "As long as there's only ONE of them! Blimey, I forgot how much energy little kids have."

"Welcome to my world," she said as he opened one eye, smiled then closed his eye and sighed. Stroking his hair, Frankie looked down at her little brother as she smiled and Duer slowly came down the stairs. There were times he felt like an outsider when it came to his wife and brother-in-law as he stood at the bottom of the stairs and titled his head to one side. Frankie looked back at him as she saw the apprehension in his eyes when she wiggled her finger for him to join them on the couch but Duer stood stone still and shook his head.

"I don't want to intrude," he whispered and she rolled her eyes, sighing.

"You're not," she said as he walked to the couch and sat next to her. Cameron moved his hand toward Duer's thigh as he watched and Cameron tapped his fingers against it. Nodding, Frankie watched as Duer placed his hand on top of Cameron's hand and Cameron gently smiled. Duer placed his arm around Frankie while she started the movie again and placed her head against Duer's head. Yawning, Cameron snuggled closer as he listened to the movie and slowly drifted back to sleep.


	119. Chapter 119

Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen

After finding the gate, most of them sat down in the chairs to wait for their plane to land. The seats were leather and arranged in six rows. Above them was mounted a TV that was currently showing CNN and off to the right was a huge plate glass window. Outside the window were the runway and several planes waiting at other gates as well as one that was heading towards the runway. The Doctor and Rain took the children to get some snacks and magazines while the others sat in the seats. Amato and Peri and Shilah and Mingxia were kissing each other and whispering in each other's ears. Rose watched them for a moment and then tapped her husband's shoulder.

"Hmmm?" Alan said with wide eyes.

Rose puckered up her lips and waited. Alan stared at them for a moment and then looked at his family members happily snogging beside him. He looked around and noticed no one was around and he looked back at Rose who was giving him an impatient look while she kept her lips puckered.

"Snogging is boring and overrated," Alan said to her. "Let's strip and have a go by the gate over there."

Amato snickered into Peri's mouth while Rose gave him a "Yeah, right," look.

"You must think I'm thick," Rose said to him.

"Not at all, you're very thin and sexy and buxom and…oh wait, you mean thick as in stupid. Well, yes, yes you are."

The others laughed as Rose smacked his arm. Alan grinned and kissed her on the lips. The couples quickly pulled apart when they noticed the others were walking up. The Doctor was carrying a brown sack while Hope walked beside him, drinking a small plastic bottle of milk and carrying an activity book underneath her left arm. Namid, Sokanon, Chaska and Christopher were walking behind them, sipping Cokes from bottles and laughing and chatting. Hope walked by her family to the plate glass window, she sipped her milk while she watched the planes at the other gates. Meanwhile, Alan and the others pulled out bottles of iced tea and soda and drank it while the Doctor and the others sat down beside them.

"I figure once we land in London, we might take in a show," the Doctor said to them. "We'll be landing there in the late afternoon so perhaps we can find something everyone will enjoy."

"You can do that," Alan said. "I'll be busy smashing Big Ben."

"Oh God, stop the Godzilla rubbish, will ya?" Rose said, rolling her eyes.

"But…Godzilla smash," Alan said in a mournful voice. "What is my purpose in life if I can't smash?"

"I s'pose you'll have to find a new purpose in life, mate," Amato said.

"Like collecting bow ties?" Alan said.

Amato fingered his red bow tie.

"Bow ties are cool," he said in a suave voice as Peri laughed and touched his bow tie with him.

"T-shirts are cool too," Alan said, fingering his navy blue t-shirts."

"Not as cool as bow ties," Amato said.

"Nope, t-shirts are cooler," Alan said.

"Nope, bow ties are cooler," Amato said as everyone laughed.

"You know what's really cool?" Sokanon said to them.

They looked at her.

"What?" Amato said.

"Shutting your gob and keeping your daft thoughts to yourself."

Alan and Amato stared at her for a moment and then Alan suddenly leapt up. Sokanon jumped up and ran to Hope when Alan roared at her and tried to grab her neck.

"There, that takes care of that," Alan said, sitting back down while everyone laughed. "Insult Godzilla, will ye? Godzilla will smash you in a minute if you don't watch it."

Sokanon started to go back to her seat when Hope tugged on her arm.

"Hey!" she said, pointing to a plane that was coming in for a landing.

"Cool," Sokanon said, turning to watch it with her.

The other children joined them and stood there watching the plane touch down on the runway and slow down. Hope looked around excitedly and ran over to the Doctor.

"Daddy, look!" she said, pointing to the plane.

"I see it, Sweetie. Is the aeroplane landing?" he asked her.

"Uh-huh. Cool," she said, nodding. 'I wanna go on one!"

"We will, Baby, just be patient," Rain said. "We have to wait for our plane to land before we can get on it."

"I wanna go!" Hope said.

"Me too!" Alan said, getting up and bending down to her. "Me wanna smash!"

"Go 'way!" Hope said.

The Doctor snickered at the look of shock on his brother's face.

"But…Godzilla smash," he said mournfully while Hope giggled. "Can I have a sip of your milk?"

"No!" Hope said before she walked back to the window.

"Well, nyah to you then," Alan said, sitting down.

Rain leaned against her husband.

"You know, I've been thinking," she said to him.

"Yes?" the Doctor replied.

"Why don't we skip London and take a train to Cardiff? None of the children have been on trains and we can have Jack meet us at the train station and go out to eat with us."

"Ooo, I like that idea," the Doctor said. "What do you think, everyone? Wanna do that after we get to London?"

"Yes!" Hope said, running over to him. "I wanna go!"

"Oh, you just wanna go, go, go and never stop," the Doctor said, tousling her hair.

He took the activity book from under her arm and took a pencil out of his inside jacket pocket. He gave both to his daughter and smiled when she sat on his lap and looked through the book. While they were doing that, Shilah gave his wife a kiss on the cheek and leaned into her ear.

"If we take the train, how 'bout we find a private spot onboard and do a bit more than snogging?" he murmured in her ear.

"Ooo, you dirty old man," Mingxia said as he chuckled. "How 'bout we join the mile high club instead?"

"Ooo, even better," Shilah said, sliding his arm across her waist. "We'll wait till the lavatory is empty and then make our move."

"Um, ew?"

They looked over at Sokanon who was leaning down into their faces.

"This doesn't concern you, Missy!" Shilah said as everyone laughed.

"Um, yeah, but I can hear you and I don't feel like barfing my lungs out, especially when I see the two of you heading for the lavatory," she said.

"Then keep yourself occupied watching the clouds and you won't see us," Shilah said.

"I'll still know you're doing it," Sokanon said, walking back to the window.

"Then go to sleep and you'll be too busy dreaming to know we're doing it," Shilah said to her.

"Actually, mate, you better get in there quickly because you know…Pear Bear and I might just beat you to it," Amato said while Peri giggled.

"Not unless me and Tarty Moo get there first," the Doctor said with a wistful sigh.

"Excuse me?" Rose said while Rain bent over laughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, TM, you didn't get the memo that we're joining the mile high club?" the Doctor said innocently.

"I think my husband might have something to say about that," Rose said.

The Doctor looked at Alan who shrugged.

"Pork her brains out, serves the slag right for not letting me be Godzilla."

Everyone laughed when Alan jumped up and ran after Rose tried to smack him in the head. The Doctor glanced down at Hope and tugged at Rose's shirt.

"Tarty, Tarty, look at this."

"Will you quit calling me that?" Rose said as everyone laughed.

"Tarty, Tarty," the Doctor said, ignoring her as he tugged on her shirt.

"What?"

The Doctor pointed to the activity book. Hope was drawing a scribble on one page.

"Scribble creature, shhhh," the Doctor said, pointing to it.

Rose grinned and leaned down into Hope's face.

"Honey, draw your daddy so he can get sucked into the drawing," she said to him.

"No," Hope said as she kept her eyes on her drawing.

"See, my daughter loves me, she doesn't want me to become a part of the drawing," the Doctor said.

"Well, that's because she doesn't know you like I do," Rose said.

She was about to say something else when suddenly Namid rushed over and grabbed her arm. Behind her was her brothers and sister. Rose gave her a quizzical look.

"Look everyone, over there," Namid said, pointing off to the right.

Everyone looked where she was pointing and saw a disheveled man looking around. He was wearing a white t-shirt and blue sweat pants that were a size too big on his thin body. He had sandy blonde hair that was slightly unkempt and a full beard. The man continued to look around him for a moment. Then thinking no one was watching, his right hand snaked down into his sweat pants and he scratched his crotch. The Doctor's mouth dropped open as the older children gaffawed and ran back to the window.

"Yeah, that was attractive," Peri said, making a face.

"Okay," the Doctor said, turning his head when he saw the man pull his hand out, inspect and sniff it. "I think now is the time to ring Jack and tell him to meet us in Cardiff."

Rain gave him her mobile so Hope wouldn't be disturbed. Ignoring the man, he opened it and dialed Jack's number.

After the Doctor got through talking to Jack and giving him the information for the flight, Jack promised that he and his team would meet them at the train station so they could go out to eat together. By this time, the lobby was filling up with other people and their plane was slowly pulling up to the gate.

"Have fun, Doctor, and be careful. We'll see you in Cardiff," Jack said.

"Okay, talk to you later, the plane just pulled up to the gate so it won't be long now till we board," the Doctor said.

Jack told him goodbye and the Doctor hung up the phone. He smiled at Hope and watched while she drew a crude dog on one page while everyone waited for the call to board.


	120. Chapter 120

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty

"Wow!" Hope said as they walked down the aisle of the airplane.

The Doctor chuckled as she held onto his hand and looked around her. There were several people near her who had found their seats and were putting their carryon bags in the overhead compartments or sitting down or fastening their seatbelts. The Doctor found their seat and let Hope go in first so she could have the window seat. Rain went in after her and the Doctor sat down in the chair closest to the aisle while Hope walked over to the window, pressed her hands against the walls on either side of it and peered out.

"Hey, this is cool," Hope said, looking back over her shoulder.

"Do you see the airport, Baby?" Rain asked.

"Uh-huh," Hope said, turning her attention back to the window.

Alan came up behind her and leaned over.

"Wow…" he said, looking out the window with her. "Look at all those people down there. They look just like ants. No wait…those are ants!"

"N'yuk, n'yuk," Rain said as Alan sniggered and went across the aisle to his seat. "You're a regular comedian. Like no one's ever heard that tired old joke before."

She glanced at the Doctor who was nodding vigorously before he twirled his finger around his ear.

"Got that right," Rain said while Alan flipped her off and settled in his seat beside Rose and Christopher.

"I hope he behaves the entire trip," Rain said to the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded vigorously. Rain stared at him and raised her eyebrow.

"Oh no, you're not gonna start the silent treatment game again, are you?"

The Doctor nodded and grinned while he shook with silent laughter. He reached across and tapped his daughter on the shoulder.

"Huh?" Hope said, turning away from the window.

The Doctor smiled and made a bunny head with his hands. Rain giggled as he made it hop in front of her.

"Yeah," Hope said.

Rain laughed at the shocked expression on the Doctor's face when Hope turned back to the window.

"Sorry, Dear, she's more interested in looking out the window than looking at you," she said.

The Doctor pointed to Hope, pointed to her empty seat and mimed bucking her seatbelt. Rain nodded and tapped Hope on the shoulder.

"I'm busy!" Hope said as Alan and Rose laughed.

"Honey," Rain said, trying not to laugh while the Doctor shook with silent laughter. "Turn around. You have to sit in your seat while they take off. You can look out the window but you have to sit down and I have to fasten your seatbelt."

Hope sat in her seat and watched while her mother fastened her seatbelt. The Doctor watched with a smile on his face. Then he suddenly felt someone's fingers ruffling his hair. He leaned up and looked around and saw Sokanon. She had her arms folded on the back of his seat and was resting her chin on them while she stared at him. The Doctor wagged a finger at her and Sokanon giggled when he dodged as she tried to ruffle his hair again. The Doctor grabbed the laminated instructions on what to do during a plane crash from the seat pocket in front of him and thwacked her on the head with it. He jerked it away when she tried to grab it and do the same to him. He looked to his left when Alan came to his side with his copy.

"Fascinating," Alan said as Namid and Chaska stood up beside Sokanon and watched him. "Now…it says here that in the event of a crash we should go out the exits but what if metal pieces of the plane shear off our legs, what do we do then?"

"Um…bleed to death or die in the fire that'll happen when the plane crashes, whichever comes first?" Sokanon said, shrugging.

"Ooo, never thought of that. Thanks for the helpful answer, Soki," Alan said.

Rain shook her head as Alan went back to his seat and showed Rose and Christopher the instructions.

"Now according to this, if the plane slams into the ground and goes ka-boom, we need to use the exits but what happens if the crash tears off an enormous hole in the side, do we use that to escape or do we still use the exits? Because I'd hate to incur the wrath of the airline staff for running out the big gaping hole without permission."

"How about you go and explain to the staff that we're going out the big gaping hole while me and Mummy actually go out the big gaping hole?" Christopher said to him.

"No, you must come with me, I need hands to hold or I might end up lost and afraid. I'm a big, ole scaredy cat," Alan said, ruffling Christopher's hair.

"FOR THE LAST TIME, GET OFF MY FUCKING BACK!"

Everyone looked up the aisle when a man and woman came through the door. Both of them were black. The man was portly with a small afro and a goatee. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and blue jeans with flip flops. The woman was thinner, her hair straight with red highlights. She was wearing a black t-shirt, black leather jacket and khaki pants with white Nike tennis shoes. Both of them were screaming at each other, oblivious of the other passengers who were watching them in shock.

"I HAVE THE FUCKING PASSPORTS AND PAPERS IN MY PURSE!" the woman screamed as she looked back at the man. "I DIDN'T FORGET ANYTHING!"

"YOU BETTER NOT HAVE. I REMEMBER THE LAST TIME WE WENT ON VACATION AND YOU FORGOT OUR TRAVELERS CHECKS. HAD TO WIRE YOUR PARENTS FOR FUCKING MONEY!"

Rain looked at Hope who was staring at the couple with wide eyes. She sighed angrily and put her arm around her while the couple stomped past their seats. She glanced at her husband and noticed he was glowering at the couple as they continued down the aisle. To their dismay, they plopped down in the seats behind the triplets and the Doctor could hear Namid groan softly as they continued their heated argument. To his relief, he saw a male and female flight attendant walking down the aisle towards them.

"Ma'am, Sir," the female flight attendant said when they reached their seats, "you're going to have to calm down and be quiet or we'll have to ask you to get off the plane."

"But he started it!" the woman protested, "my husband thinks I can't do anything right!"

"You can't!" the man retorted. "You're an idiot! I don't know why I married you in the first place!"

"Sir, if you don't calm down, we'll call security and have them escort you off the plane," the male flight attendant said.

The man glared at him but nodded and everyone around them breathed a sigh of relief when both of them fell silent. Across the way, Amato and Peri were trying not to look at them while Shilah and Mingxia sat behind them.

_Thank heavens,_ Amato thought to everyone, _I hope they shut up for the rest of the flight. _

_Oh, I don't know, it's a bit entertaining, _Alan thought back. _Like a soap opera._

_Well I don't want to listen to them,_ Namid thought. _If they start in again, I'm moving over there with Dada._

_Come on over, Ya'nala,_ Amato thought with a smile. _We don't mind you being over here with us._

_Da da da da doo doo doo doo._

Everyone laughed telepathically when they heard Hope singing inside their minds.

_Apparently, Hope needed to have her say,_ Mingxia thought.

_Doggie!_ Hope thought to them before she giggled aloud.

_It's because she finally figured out she could talk to us telepathically and she's taking advantage of it,_ the Doctor thought to them.

The woman finished her safety lecture and left them alone while she went to prepare for takeoff. Hope went back to looking out the window while Rain sighed and rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder and waited for the plane to start moving.


	121. Chapter 121

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty One

Duer walked into the living room when he stopped near the couch and saw Cameron cuddling Faith on his lap. A Dora the Explorer plaster covered the scratch on her left knee, tiny scratches were on the palms of her hands, and Duer sighed, running his fingers through his hair. She had fallen off her tricycle while Cameron and Duer were watching her and both of them kept calm while Duer sorted her out. Cameron looked back at him while Duer walked closer and saw Faith's head resting on Cameron's chest. Her eyes were closed as Duer smiled and sat down next to them.

"How's she doing?" he whispered and Cameron kissed the top of her head.

"She just fell asleep," Cameron whispered and Duer handed him one of the tea mugs he had in his hands.

"You'd think she was having her leg cut off, the way she was crying."

"Hey, have you ever skinned your knee? It bloody hurts," Cameron said and Duer smiled.

"What I don't get is how you missed when you tried to catch her."

"I'm quick, but not that quick," Cameron said as Faith shifted positions and he gently rocked her. Duer watched the tenderness between them as he saw something in Cameron's eyes and tapped his leg.

"Making up for lost time?" he asked and Cameron blinked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Cam, you weren't around while my son was growing up…"

"Yeah, I was."

"Not really. Your mind was stuck in a mirror for the first five years of his life," Duer said and Cameron looked down at Faith, kissing the top of her head.

"Yeah," he said with a nod of his head. He closed his eyes then placed his head on the back of the couch and sighed. "Blimey, there are days that I really hate the Master."

"Yeah, there are days that I'm not too happy with him myself."

"To be honest, living with someone inside your head isn't so bad."

"Well, it certainly bothered Jamie," Duer sighed, thinking about his former companion, now son-in-law, and how he spent most of his life sharing the mind of one of his descendants. It wasn't until the Doctor helped Jamie reclaim his mind that he found any sort of closure and Duer rubbed his face with his hands.

"But he didn't get shoved into a bloody mirror," Cameron growled as Faith made a little moan and he looked down at her, rubbing his hand up and down her back.

"Well, you did say that you were provoking him."

"Yeah, but only because I wanted him out of my head."

"Koschei never did take a hint," Duer sighed and placed his feet on the coffee table.

"_Was he right," _Cameron thought and set up a privacy block.

"_Was he right about what?"_

"_Was he right about you two fucking each other?"_

"_What?"_

"_He told me that you two were lovers and that you were a lousy fuck."_

"_Oh, he did, hunh? Well, yes, it was true that we used to…um…we used to take comfort in each other but it wasn't sexual. Both of us were outcasts and we found peace when we would lie together in either his bed or mine."_

"_So you never touched each other?"_

"_I didn't say that. See, on my Gallifrey, sex was considered barbaric and to touch one's flesh to another was simply not done except for experimentation. Like when my parents conceived me."_

"_So, what, you're saying that you and the Master were just experimenting?"_

"_Yep, and, to be honest, he was a lousy kisser!" _Duer thought with a smile and dropped the privacy block.

"I do know that it hurt when he shoved my mind into the mirror world," Cameron said as Duer nodded and Cameron placed his cheek on top of Faith's head.

"I'm amazed that you didn't go insane."

"Hmm, there were times that I thought I did. Though I do admit that I saw some pretty interesting stuff," he said with a smile and Duer nodded.

"Did anyone ever see you?"

"Yeah, I think they must have seen me because I heard some screams and saw people pointing at me."

"When did you realize that you could move things with your mind?"

"I'm not really sure when, but I do know the first thing I moved. The Master had left the door to the bedroom open and he was…" he said then looked down at Faith and she shifted slightly on his lap.

"_Uh, I think I better tell you this way," _Cameron thought then set up a privacy block and kissed the top of her head. _"He was fucking my ex-boyfriend. Now, normally, that wouldn't bug me but he was cramming a butt plug up his arse."_

"_Uh, yeah," _Duer thought and Cameron arched an eyebrow at him. _"Your sister used one on me once."_

"_Oooo, my sister's a kinky bitch!" _Cameron thought and they softly laughed. _"Anyway, I didn't want to watch anymore and wanted to close the door. I concentrated on the door when it started wiggling then slammed shut with a bang loud enough to make all three of us yelp. After that, I practiced moving smaller objects and loved playing "ghost"."_

"What about the rest of it?" Duer asked as Cameron looked down at the Faith and half smiled.

"Well, that was just me fiddling with something that was mine to start with," Cameron said, thinking about how his power to move objects also allowed him to pleasure not only the Master but other people he came across.

"You can do it to other people as well."

"Not at first, I couldn't. It was after I became a Time Lord that I found out I can do it to others. Makes me sort of popular at parties," Cameron said with a grin and Duer shook his head, rolling his eyes. "What really bothered me was the fact that I wasn't alone."

"What do you mean?"

"Cam did tell you that I used to wear this silver helmet with a visor, right?" he asked and Duer nodded. "Well, I found it on the ground next to this skeleton."

"What?"

"Don't know how it got there but it was wearing this silver spacesuit and the helmet was sitting there," he said and Duer nodded. "Now, Ziggy Stardust didn't bother me but the little girls with the red balloons did."

"What little girls with red balloons?"

"There were these three little girls with red balloons. They'd skip from one mirror to the other and sang "Ring Around the Rosie"," he said and Duer thought for a few minutes.

"Blimey, that was Daughter of Mine," he said and Cameron frowned.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Did I ever tell you about the Family of Blood?"

"No, but I read Adam's book about them. Are you saying that they were real?"

"Yep, I placed Daughter of Mine inside a mirror and she was holding a red balloon. If there's three of her then…"

"One of them is from here and the other is from Amato's universe?" he asked and Duer nodded. "Blimey, and they are NOT nice little girls! I spent a lot of time running from them because they wanted someone to hunt."

"Ah, so that's why you don't like mirrors," he said and Cameron nodded.

"The worst part was being separated from my sister. Imagine what it was like for me to see, uh, no, better not tell you that," he said and Duer's eyes went wide.

"You didn't watch me and Frankie having sex," he said and Cameron smiled, nodding his head. "You pervert."

"Hey, how was I supposed to know you two were going to be doing that?" he asked and Duer gently slapped Cameron's foot. "Anyway, the toughest part was watching her stomach grow bigger while she was pregnant with Cameron and not be able to feel the baby moving inside her. I watched you, and everyone else, do it and started hating you lot."

"On the outside, looking in," Duer sighed and Cameron nodded. "I feel that way, too."

"What are you on about?"

"I mean when you and Frankie have your quiet moments. I feel like I'm intruding when I see you together," he said and Cameron blinked then made his eyes go wide.

"You do?"

"Yep," Duer said, popping the "p".

"Well, that's just plain stupid."

"It is?"

"Yeah, look, I thought the only family I had was my sister, but that changed when I became a part of this…uh…well, all this! You know how it was. Our mum and dad didn't care that much for Frankie, they thought she was a stupid dunce, and, well, me being the way I am didn't make family time anything to talk about. I still remember the times the cops came and told my parents to keep it down or they'd lose us. My dad once laughed and told them to take my sister because he didn't give…" Cameron said then looked down at Faith and smiled. "He didn't care."

"Rassilon," Duer whispered and Cameron nodded.

"But that's not how it is with you lot. Even though I did make it possible for the Master to be "born" again…."

"Which we forgave you for," Duer said and Cameron nodded.

"_And I admit that I did like cutting up my __Captain Jack__," _he thought after setting up a privacy block and Duer sighed.

"_Why did you do that?"_

"_Well, I read the file on him and wonder just how he did it."_

"_But he was a human being."_

"_Yeah, and, to be truthful, he wanted to learn his limits. The reason he got pissed off was because I cut him up into little bits."_

"_I bet."_

"_I did go see him and apologized after you got me out of the mirror world," _Cameron thought and Duer smiled.

"_I remember that you were in his office for a long time. What were you guys doing?" _Duer thought and Cameron wiggled his fingers.

"Ah," Duer said and Cameron shrugged a shoulder.

"Anyway, watching Cam grow up from behind glass wasn't fun, believe me," Cameron said then shifted Faith on his lap and she placed her thumb in her mouth.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I woke up a few times during the night to someone singing over the baby monitor. Was that you?"

"Yeah," Cameron said, nodding his head.

"I was worried when he told us that he had a friend in his mirror but Frankie wouldn't let me scan it. She said that a lot of kids have imaginary friends. If I had…" Duer said as Cameron nodded and patted his leg.

"Yeah, but you didn't, which is ok. Well, not ok, but you get what I'm saying," he said and Duer nodded. The front door opened when Frankie walked inside and placed the tricycle by the door, closing the door behind her.

"What was Faith's…" she asked as they hushed her and Frankie walked to the couch, looking down at Faith. "What happened?"

"She had a little mishap," Duer said then told her what happened and Frankie knelt in front of the couch, touching Faith's hair. Faith sniffed then opened her eyes when she looked at Frankie and pouted, taking her thumb out of her mouth.

"I fell down, Mommy," she said softly and Frankie nodded.

"I see that. You want to come and get some cookie and chocolate milk?" Frankie asked and Faith nodded. Standing up, Frankie lifted her off of Cameron's lap then walked to the kitchen and Duer sighed, looking at the floor. Cameron watched when Duer stood up and held his hand out to him.

"Come on," he said as Cameron stood up and blinked.

"Where are we going?" Cameron asked.

"Just follow me and you'll see," he said as they headed for the garage and the door closed behind them.

Fiddling with the hospital bracelet, Cameron walked down the hallway when he stopped at the nursery window and looked at the five babies sleeping in the cots. The babies were in their own section of the nursery as he looked at the cot with his name on it and smiled.

"Excuse me," the nurse asked as he turned around and coughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hi," he said and the nurse looked at him suspiciously. "I am Frankie Douglas' brother."

"Can I see your identification band?" she asked as she took the scanner out and he held up his wrist. She scanned the barcode on the hospital bracelet then nodded and he looked at the cot.

"Is that her baby?" he asked and she nodded. "Can I hold him?"

"Well," she said as he gave her a sad puppy look and she sighed, looking at the floor.

"Cameron?" Duer's voice said as Cameron turned and Duer walked closer, stopping next to them.

"Hello," he said and Duer blinked.

"What are you doing here?" he asked and the nurse looked from Duer to Cameron and reached for the alarm pack on her belt.

"Do I need to call security, Sir?" she asked and Duer arched an eyebrow at Cameron.

"Does she?" he asked and Cameron looked at the cot. Placing his forehead against the glass, he looked at Cam but didn't say anything and Duer walked closer, looking at him. "Cameron?"

"On the outside looking in, that's me," Cameron sighed when Duer nodded to the nurse and she walked into the nursery. Cameron watched as the nurse lifted Cam up then left the nursery and walked to Duer, placing Cam in his arms. Cameron slowly walked closer when Duer placed Cam into Cameron's arms and he looked down at his nephew.

"Rassilon," Cameron whispered as Duer felt something move through his mind and Cameron looked at him with a small smile on his face. "Yeah, I am."

"But how is that possible?" Duer asked as Cameron rocked Cam in his arms and gently kissed the top of his small head.

"As Doctor River Song would say, spoilers," Cameron said with a little smile and Duer nodded. Cameron walked up and down the hallway as he looked at the small life in his hands and small tears dripped onto Cam's little face, making him frown. "Ooops, sorry about that."

"Cameron?" Duer asked as he walked closer and Cameron wiped his eyes.

"Look, I have to go. Promise me that you won't tell Frankie about this and…" Cameron said as he looked down at Cam then handed him to Duer, who looked at his son then at Cameron and Cameron sighed. "If he tells you about someone living in his mirror, just put it off to a vivid imagination."

Before Duer could say anything, Cameron ran down the hallway then around the corner and ran inside the TARDIS, closing the door behind him. Duer came around the corner with Cam in his arms as he watched the TARDIS dematerialize then shrugged and walked back down the hallway, heading for the nursery.

Duer moved around the console while Cameron sat on the jump seat with his face in his hands and Duer looked at the screens. Sniffing, Cameron sat up when he wiped his eyes then stood up and walked to the console.

"Thanks," Cameron said as Duer nodded and smiled at him.

"Any time, Te'lesau," he said as Cameron blinked then softly smiled and Duer placed his arm around Cameron's shoulder.


	122. Chapter 122

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Two

Hope watched in fascination while the plane slowly headed towards the runway. She put her hands against the sides of the window and watched while her mother rubbed her back. Behind them, the triplets were also leaning in trying to get a good look while Christopher looked out the window on his side. The others, already veterans of plane travel relaxed and waited for the plane to become airborne. When the plane reached the end of the runway, it waited a moment and then it started down the narrow asphalt, picking up speed until the nose of the plane lifted in the air. The moment the plane went up, Hope gasped and Rain grasped her shoulder when she slammed back into her chair, her eyes wide with fear.

"No, it's okay, Baby. The plane's going up in the air, that's all," she said while the Doctor rubbed her leg.

"Cool!" the Doctor heard Namid saying behind him while he and Rain continued to comfort their daughter.

Across the way, Rose and Alan were giving Hope concerned looks when they saw the panic on her face. Christopher, meanwhile, was looking out the window, ignoring everything as he stared at the scenery in awe while it became smaller and smaller. Alan reached out and stroked his daughter's mind and the Doctor did the same until the plane leveled out and she calmed down. But almost as soon as she calmed down, the plane turned and her fear came back when their side of the plane tilted down. It didn't last for very long and once the plane straightened out, Hope lost her fear again and went back to looking out the window. Alan tapped his foot impatiently.

"Come on; make the announcements about no seatbelts. I need to get up and annoy Rain over there," he muttered.

"You do and I'll punch you so hard, you'll end up in the cargo hold," Rain said.

"Come on," Amato muttered, "make the announcements about no seatbelts. Peri and I have to go to the loo."

"Not if we get there first," Shilah said while Alan sniggered.

"No, actually me and the misses will beat you all," Alan replied.

"Not if we beat you," the Doctor said.

He flinched when he felt the laminated card hit his head again.

"Could you not talk about that?" Sokanon said behind him. "I don't wanna vomit."

"Now wait a moment," the Doctor said, turning his head while Rain laughed, "why am I the only one that gets hit? I didn't start the whole conversation."

"You're the only one I can reach right now," he heard Sokanon say.

"Oh, so as soon as the no seatbelt announcement happens I can get up and smack you senseless then," the Doctor said aloud.

There was another thwack as Sokanon hit him again on the top of the head followed by her and her sibling's giggles. The Doctor looked at Rain who was chuckling softly.

"I have half a mind to tie the child to the top of the aeroplane but I think I would get sucked out the moment I opened a window so I'll think up another punishment instead," he said to her.

Rain laughed when there was another thwack when Sokanon hit him again.

"You know, I never raised a hand to any of you but better late than never I always say," the Doctor said. "Especially if you insist on continuing to hit me with that pamphlet."

"I'll be good, Daddy," Sokanon said.

"Mmm, I'll believe it when I see it," the Doctor said.

"No, you have to wait until they tell you to take that off," Rain said to Hope when she noticed Hope was trying to take her seatbelt off."

"I wanna stand up, Mummy."

"I know but you have to wait till they say it's okay to do that. They're still trying to steady the plane and make it safe to walk around in. Just wait a minute, it won't be long."

Everyone fell silent when they suddenly saw Alan in their mind's eye. Mental Alan took off his seatbelt and stretched.

"Ah!" Mental Alan said, "don't know about you lot but I'm going for a bit of a walk. See ya later!"

They next saw the outside of the jet from an overhead view. They watched while Mental Alan walked out onto the right wing and pumped his fist.

"Wooo-hooo! I'm outside the aeroplane! I'm defying not only gravity but the airline staff! I'm king of the plane!"

He walked back towards the plane and walked up it onto the top. He turned towards the tail and walked along it, pumping his fist while he whooped and hollered and crowed about how he was walking along the outside of the plane without being blown off. He continued to do that for a few minutes. Then suddenly, the Doctor appeared on the wing. He turned back and walked up the side of the plane to the top. He came up behind his brother and grabbed him from behind.

"Lullaby and good night…" he sang as he rocked Alan.

Everyone giggled when mental Alan's head dropped onto his chest and cartoon Z's floated out of his mouth while he snored. The Doctor gathered him up in his arms, went down the side and took him back inside the plane.

"There you go, Brother, much safer in here," the real Doctor said to Alan.

"No, I want to go out and explore," Alan said with a pout. "I hate being cooped up here. I want to unbuckle my safety belt and…"

"This is your captain speaking. We are turning off the fasten your seatbelt sign. You are free to get up and move about the cabin."

"Oh! Never mind then," Alan said as he, Rose and Christopher took theirs off along with everyone else.

The moment the Doctor took his off, he leapt up, spun around and stared at Sokanon who was sinking down in her seat while she giggled nervously.

"So, now I am free to retaliate," he said.

"Yeah, Daddy, get her!" Chaska said while Sokanon sank down even lower in her seat.

He glanced over when Hope came around him and came up to Sokanon's side.

"Hi," she said.

"Um, hi, Sissy. Can you play with Daddy so he doesn't beat the snot outta me?" Sokanon said to her.

Hope looked past her towards the back of the plane. She hesitated a moment and then wandered off.

"Ooopsie, I'll get Dora the Explorer," Alan said, jumping up from his seat. "Continue with the threats of bodily harm to Soki."

"Gladly," the Doctor said, eyeing Sokanon.

"I'm sorry?" Sokanon said hesitantly.

"Oh, I bet you are now that I'm able to move about and punish you for hitting me on the noddle with that pamphlet. Prepare to die, youngster."

"Love, the stewardess is coming down the aisle with the beverage cart," Rain said.

"Consider yourself lucky that you were saved by the beverage trolley, little imp!"

Sokanon stuck her tongue out and he gave her head a playful smack before he sat back down in his seat. He requested some tea and Rain took some tea and gave some milk to Hope. They drank their beverages while they relaxed. While Hope sipped her milk, she continued to look out the window.

"She's fascinated, yeah?" Alan said, gesturing to her. "She doesn't get to see this sort of view riding in the TARDIS. Must be why she's hooked on the view."

"Yeah, well take a dekko at your son," the Doctor said.

Alan glanced over at Christopher who was also looking out the window while he sipped his Coke.

"Well, this is why we took them on this flight, isn't it? To introduce them to the wonders of flight with windows?" Alan said with a shrug.

"Yes. Give them a chance to experience all that Earth has to offer and…"

Alan and Rose laughed when another thwack landed on the Doctor's head.

"Of course, some people will not live long enough to experience all the wonderful things Earth has if she doesn't knock it off back there!" he said while Sokanon giggled, stood up and patted his head.


	123. Chapter 123

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Three

The rain fell outside the window while four year old Faith looked out the window and pouted. Pressing her forehead against the glass, she sighed when Duer scooped her into his arms and she laid her head down on his shoulder.

"Why so blue?" he asked and she pointed at the rain. Walking to the couch, he sat down then placed her on his lap and she placed her head against his chest.

"Tell me a story, Daddy," she said, playing with the hair around his ear. Duer placed his head on the back of the couch when he thought for a few seconds then smiled and looked at her. Suddenly a test pattern appeared in her mind as she blinked and he gave her a wink.

"Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep…Coming up, it's time to have some fun with everyone's favorite time traveling tots," Duer's off stage voice said when the theme music started and TIME LORD BABIES appeared.

"Time Lord Babies, we turn aliens into goo…Time Lord Babies, we've come to play with you…When your world is full of baddies, who've come to give you a scare…Just call our names and shout out loud "Catch us if you dare!"…I like Adam…I like Rose…I love the Doctor…Alan dance…I got my toy guns…I got my teddy bear…I play the bagpipes…And I got big hair, HA…I like running…Allons-y…Is everything alright in here…Yes, Jackie…Time Lord Babies, we turn aliens into goo…Time Lord Babies, we've come to play with you…Time Lord…Time Lord...Time Lord…Babies…Babies…Babies…Woooooooooo-hooooo!"

The scene changed while a cartoon version of Koschei as a toddler walked across the screen then he stopped, blinked and did a little bow.

"_Awww," _Alan thought.

"_Baba, that's you!" _Aderyn thought.

"_Oh, Kosh, you look adorable!" _Julie thought and Koschei coughed.

"_Yeah, well, can we continue, please?" _Koschei thought and Duer smiled.

"Today's episode is called…" Baby Koschei said as he looked up at the title and smiled. "Shocking!" He did a little bow as he walked off screen and everything faded to black.

The scene changed to a cartoon nursery while Baby Jack climbed up the bookcase, trying to get the toy airplane that had gotten stuck on the top shelf, and Baby Ianto watched him, holding his teddy bear to his chest.

"Jack, be careful," he said as Baby Jack smiled and gave him a wink.

"It's ok, Yan, if he falls off and boo-boo, he'll just get back up," Baby Gwen said as Baby Jack reached for the toy airplane and stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth. Suddenly, he lost his balance as he started falling but stopped and was floating inches off the floor.

"Jack fwy!" Baby Cameron said as he wiggled his fingers at him and Baby Frankie patted her little brother's head.

"_Is that supposed to be me?" _Cameron thought.

"_Yep," _Duer thought and Cameron sighed.

"Put me down!" Baby Jack said as Baby Cameron balled his tiny hands into fists and Baby Jack grunted as he hit the floor. Baby Ianto ran to Baby Jack as he helped him up and dusted off the jackt Baby Jack was wearing. "Where is the Doctor?"

"Where else," Baby Rain asked as she walked over to the blue toy box, pounded on the top of the toy box and sighed. The top of the toy box opened while a soft humming sound filled the air and the sounds of footsteps going up a ladder came from inside the toy box. Baby Doctor peeked out as he looked at her and little hearts appeared in her eyes.

"What?" he asked when Baby Alan and Baby Adam snuck up behind Baby Rain and yanked on her nappy, making her eyes bug out. "Hey, that wasn't nice!"

"Wah!" Baby Rain cried as she sat on the floor and large tears rolled down her face.

"_Uncle Alan and Uncle Adam, that was mean!" _Faith thought.

"_Yeah, Daddy Alan, you and Uncle Adam made Mommy cry!" _Hope thought.

"_Unca Adam and Unca Alan tell Aunt Rain that you're sorry!" _Aderyn thought.

"_Aye, tell her you're sorry!" _Moira thought.

"_Hey, this isn't our fault! Duer's telling the story!" _Alan thought in his defense.

"_Yeah, we're innocent!" _Adam thought at Faith glared at Duer.

"Right," Baby Doctor said when he took Baby Alan and Baby Adam's hands and led them to the stairs.

"No! Not the time out step!" Baby Alan protested and Baby Doctor sat him and Baby Adam on the step then looked at Baby Ianto, who took the stopwatch out of his pocket.

"The usual two minutes, Doctor?" Baby Ianto asked.

"No," Baby Doctor said then thought for a few seconds, tapping his finger on his lips. "Wedgies are five minutes!"

"Ah!" Baby Alan and Baby Adam said together and folded their arms over their chests. They sulked as Baby Doctor walked to to Baby Rain and kissed her cheek, causing little cartoon cupids to sail around her head. They jumped when what sounded like a goose cut through the air and the door to the plastic play castle opened. They watched as Baby Jamie crawled across the floor and his plush toy bagpipes bounced and squeaked behind him.

"_Awww, Dad, you're wearing McCrimmon tartan nappies," _Frazer thought as Faith giggled and they heard Jamie sighing.

"_Well, I think you look cute, Highland," _Jenna thought.

"_Can we just get on with it?" _Jamie thought and Jenna sent love into his mind.

Baby Jamie stopped then looked back at the castle when Baby Frazer and Baby Hamish came out and Baby Frazer dragged the plush water horse behind him. Baby Hamish held a stick in his little hand as he walked toward the toy box and Baby Doctor had to stop him from falling in after he bent over, trying to find his ball.

"It's over here," Baby Doctor said as he led Baby Hamish to the couch and Baby Hamish smiled, picking the ball off the floor.

"_Awww, Bamm-Bamm, you look so cute!" _Angel thought and Frazer coughed.

"_Is that a toy froggie in Frazer's hand?" _Alan thought.

"_No, I think it's supposed to be Loch," _Adam thought.

"_But why am I crawling an' Hamish is walking?" _Frazer thought.

"_I think it's because it would be hard for me tae crawl an' hold onto my stick at the same time," _Hamish thought.

They saw the babies looking at them as Baby Doctor tapped his foot and crossed his arms across his chest.

"_Right, back to the story," _Duer thought and Baby Doctor smiled.

"Is everything alright in here?" a voice asked when they looked at a pair of legs at the top of the stairs and Baby Rain ran to the stairs, pointing at Baby Alan and Baby Adam.

"Jackie, they gave me a wedgie!" she said as tears trickled down her cheeks and they looked up at the legs.

"They did?" Jackie asked and Baby Rain nodded. Before Jackie could say anything, Baby Koschei peeked out from behind the legs and smiled at them.

"Who's he?" Baby Adam asked.

"This is Koschei," Jackie said as Baby Koschei waved and Baby Julie, who was sitting on the rocking horse, had little hearts circling her head.

"_Baba, lookie, that's Mooma!" _Aderyn thought.

"_Yep, Little Peeps, but, shh, we want to hear the rest of the story," _Koschei thought.

"I want you to play nice now," Jackie said while the legs turned and left the nursery. Baby Koschei looked at Baby Alan and Baby Adam when he walked down the stairs and patted them on the head. Hushing them, he scooted across the carpet when he headed toward Baby Ianto and Baby Jack and winked at Baby Alan and Baby Adam.

"What is he doing?" Baby Adam whispered when the tips of Baby Koschei's fingers started glowing and he winked at them.

"Eeep!" Baby Jack and Baby Ianto yelped after tiny sparks flew from Baby Koschei's fingers and they spun around, looking at him.

"It wasn't me!" he said while a cartoon halo appeared over his head and they looked at Baby Alan and Baby Adam.

"It wasn't us!" Baby Alan said and Baby Adam nodded. Grumbling, Baby Jack and Baby Ianto headed for the cardboard box with TORCHWOOD written in crayon over the door and went inside. Baby Jack slammed the door when the cardboard box fell over and Baby Jack growled, straightening the cardboard box up again.

"That wasn't nice," Baby Julie said as Baby Koschei looked at her while she walked to him and he blinked, little cartoon hearts floating over his head.

"But it's fun," he said as she smiled at him and his little hearts thumped under his shirt. Wiggling his finger, he walked toward Baby Rain, Baby Peri and Baby Frankie, who were having a tea party, and he hushed Baby Julie. Baby Julie took her shoes off as they shuffled across the carpeting when Baby Doctor, Baby Duer and Baby Amato appeared in front of them and Baby Doctor glared at Baby Koschei.

"_Hold on a second. Why am I the bad baby in this story?" _Koschei thought.

"_You're not. Watch," _Duer thought.

"Don't even think about it," Baby Doctor said as he arched an eyebrow at him and Baby Koschei frowned.

"But it doesn't hurt," Baby Koschei said as he tapped his finger on Baby Doctor's hand and a little blue spark caused Baby Doctor to jump.

"Hmm," Baby Doctor said when he shuffled his feet then tapped his finger against Baby Duer's nose and a little blue spark flew off his finger, making Baby Duer yelp.

"Let me try," Baby Duer said when he shuffled his feet and poked his finger against Baby Amato's ear.

"Yeep!" Baby Amato said then giggled and Baby Koschei smiled as the scene faded to black.

"What is going on in here?" Jackie asked as Baby Alan and Baby Adam looked up at the legs and pouted. The other babies were scooting across the room as they shocked each other and their hair was sticking up on their heads. "Stop this at once!" The babies stopped as they looked at each other and the foot tapped on the step. "Right, who started this?"

"He did!" Baby Jack said as he pointed to Baby Koschei and Baby Koschei walked to the stairs, looking up at the legs.

"Sorry, Jackie," Baby Koschei said as his lower lip stuck out and Jackie sighed.

"Bad babies have to sit on the time out step, right, Jackie?" Baby Alan asked.

"Well," Jackie said as Baby Koschei batted his eyes lashes and Jackie sighed. "I'll let you get away with it this time. Now, play nice."

Baby Alan and Baby Adam's mouths dropped open as Baby Koschei walked away and Baby Alan shook his head.

"Oh, he's good," Baby Alan said while Baby Adam nodded then they got up and headed down the stairs. Suddenly the doors slammed open when Baby Davros and his windup toy daleks came onto the nursery and he laughed.

"Oh no, it's the Bad Baby!" Baby Julie shouted as the windup toy daleks floated into the air and headed toward them.

"Bad daweks!" Baby Cameron shouted when he wiggled his fingers and the windup toy daleks started smashing into each other. The babies ran around the nursery when Baby Koschei rubbed his feet against the carpet then scooted toward Davros and growled at him.

"Leave my friends alone!" Baby Koschei shouted when he held his hands out and sparks of blue light flew from his fingers, hitting Baby Davros on the face. Baby Davros blinked then his lower lip quivered and tears rolled down his face.

"Wah!" Baby Davros cried as he left the nursery and the windup toy dalek followed him. Baby Koschei blew on his fingers when he felt someone tap him on the back and turned, seeing Baby Doctor behind him. Holding his hand out, Baby Doctor shook hands with him while Baby Julie kissed Baby Koschei's cheek and Baby Koschei smiled.

"Yay!" Faith, Hope, Aderyn and Moira cheered as the scene faded to black and Duer looked down at Faith.

"I'm glad you liked it, Sweetie," he said as she knelt on his lap and rubbed her hands on his shoulders. He blinked when she tapped the tips of her fingers against the tip of his nose and a small spark of static electricity caused him to jump.

"Gotcha, Daddy," she said as he shook his head and hugged her.

"_Just so I go on record, I am so sorry I just taught the girls how to do that and, Rain, if Alan and Adam shock you, you have my permission to clobber them," _he thought as he heard Alan and Adam grumbling inside his head and Duer smiled, softly laughing inside his head.


	124. Chapter 124

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Four

Alan ended up taking his daughter to the bathroom. He smiled when he took her back to the Doctor.

"Dora has just been to the loo. Her bladder is empty and her mind is content," he said to him.

"Good," he said while Hope climbed into his lap.

Alan sat back down beside Rose and whispered something in her ear. Hope watched while Rose giggled at whatever he said and kissed his cheek. Hope looked at the Doctor and imitated Alan, blowing air in his ear in imitation of his whispering. The Doctor chuckled and kissed her cheek. He wrapped his arms around her as she settled back against him and let out a small contented sigh.

Meanwhile, Shilah was snuggling with his wife. He smiled when she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Having fun?" Shilah said softly.

"Yes, I am," Mingxia replied.

"Hmm, we'll have to find a hotel room when we get to Cardiff," Shilah said.

"What about the Doctor? He has the TARDIS?"

"I'll tell him to come back and pick us up in the morning. I think you and I should have a night spent alone without…"

He raised his voice.

"Alan bursting in on us."

Mingxia giggled when he heard Alan getting up. Two seconds later, he appeared at Shilah's side, hands on hips.

"I was relaxing, minding my own business and chatting with the misses and suddenly I heard my name floating on the air and it seemed to come from this precise location. What would I be bursting in on exactly?"

"They're talking about having sex," Namid said.

The rest of the family snickered as Alan slowly turned, walked over to her side and bent over Sokanon.

"Duh-roo, I knew that already, I was trying to get him to say it, Dorky-doodle!" he said to her.

"Well, I was savin' ya the trouble so I don't have to hear them say it, Poopy-poodle," Namid said.

The triplets laughed when Alan folded his arms and set them directly on the Doctor's head while he stared at her quietly.

"Um…Alan, hello?" the Doctor said, snapping his fingers as Rain laughed. "Could you not use me for an armrest, thanks!"

Alan leaned back up. He pointed to Namid and pointed to both of his eyes before he sat back down in his seat.

"Yeah, I'm really scared," Namid said to her sister and brother.

While Alan sat with his wife and son, Hope slid off the Doctor's lap, walked over and sat on his lap.

"That's it, Sunshine, sit there so he doesn't get up and annoy everyone," the Doctor said.

Alan wrapped his arms around Hope.

"Do you love me?" he asked, bending his head down to Hope's head.

"Yes."

"How much?" Alan asked.

"A little."

"A little?" Alan said while Rose laughed. "Just a little? But I love you more than all the stars in the universe. How is it that I love you so much and you love me so little?"

Hope didn't say anything while she stared at the seat in front of her.

"Are you being coy or are you in really deep thought regarding my question?" Alan asked her.

Hope noticed a small plastic latch on the seat in back of her. She reached out, turned it and gasped when the plastic tray fell open with a loud bang.

"Yes, that's a tray table for eating and doing activities on," Alan said in Hope's ear. "But you better not let that fall again, otherwise the person in front of me might hit me in the face because he'll think I did that and that'll be bad because I'll bleed from my nose and lip and you don't want that, do ya?"

Hope didn't answer. She looked at Rose who chuckled and gave her a kiss on the nose. Hope puckered up and gave her a kiss on the lips.

"Hey," Alan said, tapping her head. "You didn't answer this question or the question before it. The question's are pilin' up. Answer me or at the very least, give me a kiss too."

Hope leaned her head back and kissed Alan on the lips. Alan squeezed her tightly.

"Aw, I knew you were just pulling my leg when you said you didn't love me that much. You love me loads and that makes me want to sing and…"

The Doctor and Rain laughed when Rose slammed her hand over his mouth. Alan gave her an annoyed look and pulled his face away.

"I wasn't going to," he said.

Rose gave him a dubious look and grinned when Alan gave her a playful nudge in the ribs.

"Bro, send Hope back this way. Food's comin'," Rain said, pointing to the flight attendant who was entering with the food cart.

"You heard your mum, time to get some grub, Bub. So get up my lap and go eat."

"No."

"No, you wanna eat here with little ol' me?" Alan said.

"Yes."

Rose laughed when Alan pumped his fist in the air. Rain glanced at her husband and shrugged. She waited till the woman came with the trolley and told her that Hope was sitting with Alan and wanted her tray over there. The woman nodded and passed out Alan and Hope's trays. Alan turned his tray so it was longways and then put Hope's tray next to it. He took some tea and got some milk for Hope. He smiled as Hope ate his food with him and sent love into her mind while they were doing it.


	125. Chapter 125

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Five

"Pa-paw?" nine year old Zoe asked as she walked inside Duer's TARDIS and looked at the two pair of legs sticking out from under the console.

"Which pa-paw do you want?" Jamie asked as he wiggled his feet back and forth and she sat down on his legs.

"I need tae talk tae you," she said and Jamie looked up at her.

"Ah, well, what do you need?" he asked as she got off his legs and he slowly sat up, placing his sonic screwdriver on his leg.

"I wanted tae ask you something."

"Aye, and that is?"

"Why arenae you old anymore?" she asked and Duer yelped after hitting his head. "Are you alright, Pa-paw?"

"Yeah," he said as he carefully sat up and looked at Jamie. They had explained to Lucy and Hamish about why Jamie looked the way he did but they forgot that Zoe was four when Jamie brought them to live with him in the future. Jamie looked at Duer as he looked at Zoe and thought for a few seconds. "Come on."

They got up as they left the control room then walked down the hallway and headed for the door. They stopped in front of the door as he looked at Zoe and sighed.

"Now, I have explained about my other lives, right?" he asked and she nodded. "Ok, well, this is my simulation room and it will allow you to see what happened to your grandfather."

"You mean like when he showed me how you met him during Culloden?" she asked and Jamie shrugged, smiling.

"Yeah, like that," Duer said, shaking his head. Closing his eyes, he thought for a few seconds then opened his eyes and opened the door. The room looked like how the control room looked in his second life and Duer smiled at his second life standing near the console. "I forgot how frumpy I looked back then."

"That looks like Pa-paw Trevor," Zoe said with a smile and Jamie nodded. Trevor, who looked like the Doctor's second life, came from another universe when the Doctor rescued him and his Jamie and Zoe from Trevor's Time Lords and Trevor had been officially adopted as one of the children's grandfathers.

Duer was looking at the screens when the door to the right opened and Jamie walked inside the room. He looked like he did now except for wearing a kilt, a black turtleneck jumper, a sporran and tan boots, and waked to the console.

"Ah, Jamie, I was just coming to get you," Duer said but Jamie didn't look happy and leaned against the jump seat.

"Why do you look so angry, Pa-Paw?" Zoe asked and Jamie hushed her.

"Where's Victoria?" Jamie asked.

"Oh, they, um, they already took her."

"So our assignments are over then?" Jamie asked when Duer paused the simulation and explained that, like the Doctor, his Time Lords were sending him into exile and allowed him to take Jamie on some assignments and that their time together was over. He told the TARDIS to start the simulation again as the other Duer sighed and strummed his fingers on the console.

"I'm afraid so, dear boy."

"Which means you're going tae have tae send me home."

"Yes."

"What if I dinnae want tae go home?"

"Jamie, we've talked about this. They only allowed me to send for you with the understanding that you go back when we were done."

"So my say in this mean na'?"

"Jamie, please be reasonable."

"No, I will nae be reasonable! What they did was…was…Well, it's just plain wrong! I only went along with it the last time because we had no other choice. This time, we do have a choice. Cannae you just hide me in the TARDIS an' tell them that you sent me home?"

"They'll scan the TARDIS before sending me off into exile. They'll find you and who knows what they would do to you."

"Then send me tae be with Victoria!"

"I can't do that."

"Why?"

"Well, you see, she didn't want me to tell you this but she has someone in her life."

"An' she loves him?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Then mebbe you should send me home," Jamie sighed as Duer walked closer and tears trickled down Jamie's cheeks.

"I know that you love her, Jamie, but you never know. There might be someone waiting for you back home."

"That's a laugh. You ken why I want tae stay here? It's because THIS is the only place where I feel at home!"

"It is?"

"Aye, it is. Let me ask you this. Do I look like the Jamie you remember the last time you saw me?"

"No, you look…older."

"That's because I am older. I was seventeen when I last saw you. I'm twenty-six now."

"That means they picked you up in seventeen fifty-five."

"Aye an' do you ken what it was like for me over those nine years? I survived the war but had tae go into hiding. During that time, I had these weird dreams an' visions. My kin and clan thought I had gone mad. They started calling me "Crazy Jamie" an' I ended up alone."

"Did they really call you that?" Zoe asked and Jamie nodded, hushing her.

"You mean to say there wasn't one woman that didn't want to be with you?" Duer asked.

"Och, aye, there were a few that fancied me but their fathers, uncles or brothers would tell them that I was crazy an' they would leave me. I ended up living in this wee flat an' unload fish for a living. I didnae talk tae anyone nor did anyone talk tae me. Now do you understand why I want tae stay?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, I do."

"You ken, if there was a way that I could keep my memories, you could drop me off somewhere an' I could start over. Mebbe somewhere where they dinnae ken me."

"That does sound nice but I'm afraid there is…" Duer said as he looked up at the ceiling then saw something and his eyes went wide. "Of course, why didn't I think of that before?"

"What are you talking aboot?"

"This!" Duer said as he pushed the buttons on the console and the chameleon arch came down from the ceiling.

"What is that?"

"This is my chameleon arch. I use it when I need to become someone else."

"Eh?"

"Take for instance if I wanted to become human. I would use this and my mind and body would be made human while my Time Lord mind would be stored in this!" Theta in his second life said as he removed the fob watch from the holder and showed it to him.

"Your mind would fit in there?" Jamie asked, pointing to the watch.

"Like the TARDIS, it's bigger on the inside," Duer teased and Jamie smiled.

"You're saying that you can use that on me an' store my memories of you in this?"

"Exactly!" Duer said as he placed the fob watch back into the holder then walked to the console. "Now, all you would have to do it place the headpiece on your head and I would do this."

They watched as Duer pushed the buttons on the console and he smiled, rubbing his hands together.

"Now, if I was going to do this, I would press this button and…" Duer said when someone pounded on the doors and he jumped, pushing the button.

"_But that shouldn't have happened. My so called father, damn him to all the hells in all the universes, ordered that guard to do that! He wanted me to feel such remorse for hurting Jamie that I would fall in line and be the good son he always wanted me to be," _Duer thought after placing up a privacy block and thought about when he found out when he was reunited with his mother. The man that he had believed to be his father, who had called himself "Rassilon", had been vaporized by the Judoon after Duer helped his mother defeat Rassilon and his real father died saving his life as well as Cam's life.

"Pa-paw, look!" Zoe said as she pointed to Jamie holding onto the headpiece and he was screaming.

"Aye, I wanted tae stay so badly that I just placed the headpiece on my head an'…" he said and Zoe nodded.

"Jamie? Oh, no, what have I done!" Duer shouted as he pushed the buttons and Jamie fell to the floor.

"Doctor, open this door!" the voice behind the doors said and he ran to Jamie, kneeling down beside him. Placing his head on Jamie's chest, Duer sat back on his legs and stroked Jamie's hair. After a few minutes, he thought of something as he stood up and ran to the console. They watched him pushing buttons, flipping switches and turning levers and the rotor bopped up and down. The engines hummed around them as the sound of voices shouting for him to stop and Duer walked to Jamie, sitting on the floor next to him.

"Was he alright, Pa-paw?" Zoe asked.

"No, it absorbed his mind. All of it except for that which controlled breathing, heartbeat and organ functions! In short, he was brain dead," Duer said then paused the simulation and . Jamie nodded as Zoe walked to Duer and he slowly looked up at her. She knelt down as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he hugged her.

"But it wasnae your fault," she whispered and he kissed her hair.

"Yes, it was," he whispered then rocked her back and forth as she looked at the other Duer and saw something in his hand.

"You put the watch in his sporran?" she asked as he looked at what she was looking at and nodded.

"I panicked. I thought that, if I could get him some help, I'd have time to figure out how to put his memories back into his head without killing him."

"Aye, he brought me tae a hospital and spent weeks sitting by my bedside, hoping that I'd wake up," Jamie said as he sat on the floor next to them and Zoe smiled at him.

"Then what happened?" she asked as Duer looked at Jamie and Jamie moved closer, leaning up against his arm.


	126. Chapter 126

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Six

After eating, Hope wandered back to Amato and Peri's seats. There was one empty seat beside them and the scooted down so she could have the window seat. She felt sleepy so Amato asked the flight attendant to bring a pillow and blanket for her. Once the pillow was behind her head and the blanket was over her, Hope drifted off to sleep, her belly full and her mind content. Amato looked through a science magazine he had purchased at the airport while Peri gazed out the window. They announced an in-flight movie over the intercom system but it was Rush Hour and Peri had no interest in that. She relaxed in her seat and gazed out at the irregular cloud formations while Hope snoozed quietly in the seat beside her.

Peri became lost in her thoughts while she stared at the fluffy white clouds zooming past the window. She felt Amato put his arm around her and she turned her head and smiled at her.

"Do you love me?" Amato asked.

Peri gave him an odd look.

"Um…yeah…" she said.

"I mean, do you love this body?"

"I guess so. I married this body, didn't I?" Peri said, poking his ribs.

"Yes, but I could change back to my tenth self if I wanted to."

"I don't want you to. I don't you looking like everyone else. I love that I can spot you with no difficulty when you and your brothers are together. Don't change, Amato, please. I love this body. You're sexy," she said.

She laughed and tugged the sleeve of his tweed jacket.

"Now, your fashion sense, perhaps that should be tweaked a bit but otherwise…"

"No, I like the way I look. I look cool," Amato said.

"Perhaps but…perhaps a bit of leather now and then. Leather pants, leather jacket…"

Amato made a face.

"Already tried the leather jacket look in my ninth life, never again," he said to her.

They paused and watched Hope when she let out a yawn and shifted slightly in her seat before she fell asleep again. Peri gently brushed some of the strands of her hair out of her eyes and adjusted her cover so it was up above her shoulders.

"She's so beautiful," Peri said, staring at her. "Makes me wish for a daughter of our own."

"We have a daughter, look," Amato said, pointing to Namid who was sitting in her seat quietly reading a magazine.

"No, I mean one that came from us, not an adopted daughter," Peri said.

Amato stared at her for a moment in silence.

"You want to become human so you can…"

"I don't know. I'm having mixed feelings about that. Rose told me about using the chameleon arch and how painful it is. I would love to have a child but not if I have to go through the pain of changing back on top of the pain of childbirth. Besides, I didn't know if you wanted one or you were just content with Namid."

"Per, I love you and I would love to be a parent. If you want a child at some point in future, I wouldn't mind it. Just let me know when you want to become one."

"I'll have to think about it. Like I said, I'm still having mixed feelings. For the moment, I'm happy being a mother to Namid and helping out with raising the other children. Especially the little booger here," she said, putting her hand on Hope's head.

Hope yawned and opened her eyes. She blinked and looked up at Peri.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi, get enough sleep?" Peri asked her.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Ready to destroy the aeroplane now?" Amato asked her.

"No."

"Oh. Well, we'll leave the plane destroying to Alan."

He said Alan louder than the rest of his words and he and Peri chuckled when they saw his head rise up above his seat. Rose laughed when he raised his eyebrow.

"Now what are you lot saying about me?" he said. "Can't a man read his magazine in peace without his family gossiping about him?"

"What magazine are you reading?" Peri asked.

Alan sniffed.

"If you must know, I'm reading Barely Legal Babes."

"Oh, you are not, Alan," they heard Rose say while he and Christopher laughed.

"Fine. I'm reading Time Magazine. I like to update myself on current events. Makes me feel smarter," Alan said.

"And as dumb as you are, you need all the help you can get."

The rest of the family sniggered when Alan eyed Sokanon who was giving him an innocent look. Alan walked over to her and bent down.

"Want me to hit you so hard on the noddle that you're head ends up sticking out your anus?" he asked her.

"No," Sokanon said in between giggles.

"Then I suggest you zippy that lippy, Missy Doodle, or it will happen."

"Yeah, yeah, go back and read your magazine. Maybe you'll get smart enough to actually have a battle of wits with me," Sokanon said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Alan leaned over and tapped the Doctor on the shoulder. The Doctor looked up from his magazine and raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah?" he said while Rain chuckled.

"Permission to give your daughter an anus head?" Alan said.

"Permission denied."

"Bollocks, you're no fun," Alan said as he went and sat back down.

After a few more hours, the aeroplane landed at Heathrow Airport. The Doctor held Hope's hand while they walked through customs and had their passports checked. Then after getting their luggage and making sure everything was in order, they headed towards the Underground so they could take a tube train to Victoria Station and catch a train that would take them all to Cardiff.


	127. Chapter 127

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Seven

"I woke up but had no idea who I was or where I was. All the sisters would tell me was my name, how old I was an' that I had some sort of accident," Jamie said as Duer sighed and Zoe nodded. "Would you like tae see the day I met Grannie?"

"Aye," Zoe said as Jamie closed his eyes and the room changed. The walls and ceiling were stark white with a candle stick sitting on the white night table and the bed near the window. White curtains covered the window while a white wardrobe sat next to the window and a chair sat to the right of the door. Jamie was lying under the blankets when the door opened and a young nurse and a tall man wearing a dark brown suit, a white shirt, a brown tie, brown shoes and white doctor's coat walked into the room.

"Yes, now, this is our latest trauma case. He is twenty-six years old and answers to the name "Jamie"," the doctor said as the young nurse nodded and walked to the bed. "Jamie, someone is here to see you."

Jamie looked at the nurse as she gently smiled at him and he blinked. She noted that he was wearing a white nightshirt, which had the top button undone, and he tilted his head to one side.

"Hello, Jamie, my name is Rosealie," Rosealie said as he blinked then went back to looking at his fingers.

"He can't speak. In fact, he has the mentality of an infant," the doctor said and Rosealie nodded. Jamie looked at Rosealie again when he scrunched up his face and made a soft grunting sound. Roselie noticed the distinct smell of urnine in the air as she lifted the blanket and sighed.

"He isnae potty trained, I take it," she said and the doctor nodded. Jamie grinned at her as he softly giggled and she rolled her eyes.

'You wet the bed, Pa-paw?" Zoe giggled and Jamie nodded.

"What surprised the people at the hospital was how quickly I relearned things. Within a year, I knew how tae talk, walk an' other things but I didnae ken who I was or what happened tae me," Jamie said and Zoe nodded.

"Then what happened?" Zoe asked and Jamie closed his eyes. The room didn't change but Jamie was standing near the window and was watching the rain falling outside the glass. The door opened when Rosealie walked into the room and he turned around, smiling at her.

"Good morning, Jamie," she said as he walked to her, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips. Stunned, she moved back as he blinked and titled his head to one side. "No, Jamie, that's not proper!"

"Aye, it is," he said with a nod of his head and she frowned. Slowly he took her hand when he placed her hand over his heart and she felt his heart thumping hard and fast against her fingers. He moved closer as he cupped the back of her neck in his hand and kissed her again. Moving back, both of them were breathing hard through their noses and she brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"Jamie, no, we cannae do this."

"Why?"

"It's because you are my patient. I cannae…" she said as he lifted her chin between his fingers and blinked.

"But I dinnae want tae be a patient," he said then walked to the window and looked outside. "I want tae go outside."

"Where will you go?" she asked as she walked to him and placed her hand on his back.

"I dinnae ken, but I do ken that I want tae go," he said then sighed and looked down. "The thing is, when people ask where I'm from, all I can tell them is I used tae live in a hospital. I dinnae want them tae call me…"Crazy Jamie"."

"Which is what they called you before, aye?" Zoe asked and Jamie nodded.

"No one will call you that," Rosealie said as Jamie looked at her and scrunched his face up.

'You ken that for sure?" he asked and she sighed, watching him turn to her and she stroked his hair.

"No, I dinnae ken that for sure."

"Then mebbe it would be for the best if I stay here, aye?"

"No, that isnae a good idea either."

"Then what am I going tae do?" he asked and she sighed, shaking her head.

"What did you do?" Zoe asked and Jamie closed his eyes. The room changed to a sitting room with soft tan walls and ceiling and small painting were hung on the walls. The furniture, flooring and bookcases were done in a dark wood, with a soft brown carpet under a large table, and a fire was lit in the fireplace. The door opened while Rosealie led Jamie into the room and she looked at the older man standing by the window. He was tall with graying black hair and was wearing a dark brown suit, a white shirt, a dark brown tie and dark brown shoes.

"Father?" Rosealie asked as the man turn around and looked at them. She had told her father about Jamie and was surprised when he agreed to let Jamie live with them and she had Jamie discharged from the hospital. He was excited during the carriage ride to the house but was now feeling shy and his heart thumped hard and fast against his ribs. Her father looked at her then at Jamie, who was standing behind her, when she reached back and gently slid her hand into Jamie's hand.

"Ah, this is Jamie, I take it," her father asked as he walked closer and Rosealie stood to one side, allowing Jamie to shake hands with her father and Jamie nodded.

"It is a pleasure tae meet you, Sir," Jamie said an Rosealie's father smiled.

"A polite lad," he said then turned and looked at Rosealie. "Margret has made a room for him across from yours."

"Thank you, Father," Rosealie said as they left the room and the door closed behind them.

"Her father was a business man, dealt mostly in wine imports, an' I became his apprentice," Jamie said as Duer nodded and Jamie rubbed his face with his hands. "I was twenty-eight when we got married an' he gave us a small house out in the country. Rosealie insisted that I take drawing an' painting, with hopes it would help me remember things, an' I got really good at it."

Jamie closed his eyes then opened them and the room had changed to a room with soft tan walls and ceiling and the flooring was a soft tan pine. The simple wooden furniture and book cases filled the room and Jamie was sitting at the table, looking at the canvases, sketchbooks and wooden box in front of him.

"_Wait, the Doctor said that he saw a one room house in the middle of nowhere when he went into your head. Where did all this come from?" _Duer thought after he set up a privacy block.

"_Well, that was the house I was born in. In fact, when I think back on things, I usually use it," _Jamie thought.

"_What about what happened to Mary?"_

"_Well, we did move tae a bigger house near the woods after __Daniel__ was born. We, uh, ran out of room," _Jamie thought and Duer smiled, nodding his head.

"What is all this for?" Jamie asked as he opened the wooden box and looked at the small bottles of paint, brushes, charcoals and a small knife to sharpen the charcoals.

"I thought you'd like tae learn how tae draw an' paint," she said when a kiss on his cheek and he looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"Why?"

"Well, it might help you remember something," she said and he nodded.

"Aye, it would be a change from that journal you gave me. Writing down my dreams didnae help me much," he sighed and she nodded.

"What did you dream about?" Duer asked and Jamie slightly blushed, looking down at his feet.

"_I dreamt aboot having sex with my wife," _he thought as he set up a privacy block and Duer smiled.

"Just the usual stuff," Jamie said and Duer nodded. "Though I did have a nightmare aboot a silver spider which was trying tae eat my brain."

"Ah," Duer said when Zoe walked to him and hugged his waist.

"Dinnae fash, Pa-paw, dinnae fash," she said and Duer knew that fash was Gaelic for "worry". He patted her head as Jamie smiled and closed his eyes.

"What do you think?" Jamie asked as Rosealie looked at the charcoal drawing of the flowers in the bowl on the table and she placed her arms around his shoulders, placing her chin on the top of his head.

"That is really good!" she said and he looked up at her.

"Och, you're just saying that."

"No, that is really good. In fact, I'm going tae get it framed an' hang it on the wall," she said as she snatched the sketchbook out of his hand and he stood up, walking after her as she left the room

"No you're nae!" he said as they walked into the next room and she giggled, placing the sketchbook behind her back. "Come on, give it back!"

"Make me!" she said as he breathed hard through his nose and softly laughed. She squealed as he started to chase her then they vanished up the stars and Jamie smiled.

"Did she give it back?" Zoe asked as Duer paused the scene and Jamie softly coughed.

"Aye, she did," Jamie said with a nod of his head.

"How old were you when my daddy was born?"

"Well, let's see, I was twenty-nine when your Uncle Alexander was born, your grannie was twenty-six, thirty when your Uncle Donald was born, thirty-one when your Uncle Daniel was born so, um, I was thirty-three then. Though, tae be honest, it was a scary time. Your grannie got very ill while pregnant with him an' I thought they were both going tae die."

"But, seeing that you're here, Zoe Toes, they didn't!" Duer said and she giggled.

"How did you ken that Daddy was blind?" Zoe asked and Jamie closed his eyes. They looked at the one room house with a stone fireplace to the left of the room and a crude wooden table and wooden stools sat near the table. A stone fireplace was glowing from the fire as three little boys ran around the table and Jamie was chasing them. The wooden beds sat near the wall to the right while Rosealie held onto Hamish and he wiggled in her arms. Setting him on the floor, he crawled straight toward the sound of the giggling then smacked his head into the wall and flopped down onto his tummy.

"Wah!" he screeched as Jamie ran to him and picked him up. Hushing him, Jamie looked at Rosealie as she walked to him and Jamie stroked Hamish's little back.

"He does that every time he crawls. I think we need tae take him tae see the doctor," she said as he nodded and kissed the top of Hamish's head.

"A few days later we took him tae see the doctor an' were told that Hamish was blind," Jamie sighed and Zoe hugged his waist. "I nearly stuck a dirk in his ribs after what he said next."

"What did he say?" Duer asked and Jamie sighed.

"He said it would be best if we drowned Hamish," he said as Zoe's eyes went wide and he gently stroked her hair.


	128. Chapter 128

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Eight

"He said what?" Duer shouted and the TARDIS grumbled softly around them.

"You have tae understand. A bairn with a defect like that was considered useless an' would live out their life as a beggar," Jamie said with a sigh and Duer growled.

"But…"

"No, it's what was waiting for him if we let him live. The thing was we werenae going tae do that," Jamie said then closed his eyes.

"How dare ye!" Jamie shouted as he slammed the doctor into the wall and Jamie's eyes were large as saucers.

"But…" the doctor choked and Rosealie touched Jamie's arm, making him look at her.

"Jamie, please…" she said and Jamie glared at her.

"Are ye suggesting that we let him drown Hamish?" Jamie bellowed as he pushed the doctor into the wall then turned, taking Hamish out of Rosealie's arms. The door slammed open as he stormed out of the office and held Hamish close to his chest.

"I didnae talk to her the whole way back tae the house. In fact, I nearly told her tae pack her things an' leave," Jamie sighed and rubbed his face with his hands.

"Do you blame me?" Rosealie asked while Jamie sat in the high back chair and Hamish slept soundly in his arms.

"Do I blame ye for what?" he asked and she looked at Hamish. They had told Alexander, Donald and Daniel about what was wrong with Hamish but they didn't seem to care and moved things out of the way so he didn't bump into them. "Och, no, I dinnae blame ye."

"If I hadnae gotten ill then…" she sighed and he looked at her, looked at Hamish and blinked.

"Come here," he said as he handed Hamish to her and she took their son in her arms then sat down on Jamie's lap, placing her head on his shoulder. "Do ye ken what I see when I look at ye?"

"No."

"I see my anchor. If I didnae have ye, I think I would come apart at the seams. I have no real memory of who or what I was, aye? All I ken aboot who an' what I am now is what I experience with ye an' the bairns. When ye became ill, I was so scared. I had no idea what I was going tae do, or if I could do it," he said and she softly stroked his hair.

"I am here."

"I ken that, but the idea that ye wanted tae…" he said as he looked at Hamish and she flicked her finger against the side of his head. "Ow."

"That is for being such a dunce! If you would have calmed down, you would have heard me tell that bloody twit that I would shove his face up his arse if he laid one hand on Hamish!" she said as she stroked the top of Hamish's head and Jamie smiled, shaking his own head.

"Aye, I am a dunce," he said and she smiled.

"What are we going tae do aboot him nae being able tae see?"

"I guess we'll just let him do whatever it is he sets his mind tae," Jamie said and kissed the top of Hamish's head.

"But he might get hurt."

"All boys get hurt. It's a part of growing up," Jamie said with a smile and she smiled back.

"Aye, I guess you're right, but we cannae ignore that fact that he is blind."

"True, but we cannae keep him indoors an' locked away either."

"Then we'll just have tae take it one day at a time."

"Aye, I guess we will," Jamie said as he kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around them.

"An' you did let him do whatever he wanted, aye, Pa-paw?" Zoe asked and Jamie nodded.

"Aye, but I didnae treat him like he was special, mind. I strapped his bottom just like his brothers if he got out of line," Jamie said and Duer's eyes went wide.

"You did what?" he asked and Jamie closed his eyes, smiling.

"McCrimmon!" a voice shouted while Jamie lowered the axe and wiped the sweat out of his eyes. Coming toward him was one of his neighbors and the man's ten year old son was running behind him. The man was taller than Jamie and his long red hair hung loose around his shoulders. The gray shirt was clinging to his skin as his heavy footsteps came closer and Jamie leaned the axe against the stump, folding his arms across his chest.

"What's bothering ye, Connolly?" Jamie asked as Franklin Connolly stopped in front of him and his son stood to his left.

"I'm here tae find out which one of yer sons assaulted my Robby!" Franklin shouted, pointing to Robby.

"One of my sons assaulted yer Robby?"

"That is what I said. So, which one was it?"

"I have no idea," Jamie said as he looked at Robby and Robby gently rubbed the lump on the top of his head. "Tell me, why would one of my sons attack ye?"

"Um, well, I was out by the fence an' Ashley…" Robby said as he sighed and looked at his feet. Jamie's nine year old daughter, Ashley, had knocked out two of her front teeth, which were baby teeth, when she fell off fence and some of the children were making fun of her. She had just come home crying a few minutes ago but couldn't tell him what was wrong and he looked at Robby with anger in his eyes.

"Did ye make fun of her missing some teeth?" Jamie asked with a cool tone to his voice.

"Aye," Robby said with a nod of his head then took a breath. "See, I was going tae tell her I was sorry when he came over an' hits me on the head with that stick."

"Ye were hit with a stick?"

"Aye, he's always hitting us with that stick," Robby said when Jamie turned around and saw ten year old Hamish headed for the well, the stick tapping the ground.

"Are ye talking aboot Hamish?" Jamie asked as he pointed to Hamish and Robby nodded.

"What, are ye saying the blind lad hit ye?" Franklin asked with a stunned look on his face.

"Aye, Daddy, he hit me with that stick!" Robby said when Franklin grabbed him by the back of his neck and growled.

"Dinnae lie!"

"I'm nae!" Robby shouted and Jamie rubbed his mouth with his hand, trying hard not to laugh.

"Alexander?" Jamie called to Alexander, who was heading toward the house then ran to him and stood next to him. "Go fetch Ashley. She's in the house."

"Aye, Daddy," Alexander said then ran off. A few minutes later Ashley ran to Jamie then saw Robby and glared at him.

"Whath he doing here, Daddy?" she asked with a lisp and Jamie held her to his side.

"Was Robby teasing ye?" Jamie asked and Ashley nodded.

"An' Hamith hit him with hith schtick!" Ashley said, pointing to Hamish, who was trying to find the handle to bring the bucket up from the well.

"Hamish?" Jamie asked and Hamish looked toward his voice.

"Aye, Daddy?" he asked, taking the stick in his hand.

"Come toward my voice," Jamie said as Hamish walked closer then stopped when the stick hit Jamie's foot. "Did ye hit Robby Connolly?"

"Aye, Daddy, he was teasing Ashley," Hamish said then sniffed the air and growled. "He's here?"

"Aye, he is an' his father as well. He wants to ken who assaulted Robby."

"Was it you, Lad?" Franklin asked and Hamish smiled, nodding his head.

"This is nae funny!" Jamie said and Hamish looked down. Sighing, Jamie looked at Robby then at Ashley and moved her in front of her. "Now, Robby, will ye say sorry tae my daughter for teasing her?"

Robby moved closer as Ashley looked down and Jamie saw something in Robby's eyes. Robby coughed then rubbed the back of his head and shyly smiled at Ashley.

"Is that Uncle Robby, Pa-paw?" Zoe asked and Jamie smiled.

"Aye, it is," Jamie said and Duer tilted his head to one side. "He teased her because he likes her."

"Ah, a clear case of puppy love," he said and Zoe frowned. "That's what you call childhood love."

"Oh!" Zoe said and smiled.

"Um, sorry that I was teasing ye, Ashley," Robby softly and Ashley blushed, lowering her head. Franklin looking at Jamie as Jamie smiled and shrugged.

"Thath alright," Ashley said and Robby nodded.

"Right, Hamish, tell Robby ye're sorry for hitting him," Jamie said and Hamish dropped the stick on the ground, folding his arms over his chest.

"No," Hamish said and stamped his foot.

"Hamish!"

"No, I will nae tell him I'm sorry," Hamish said when he turned then started walking away and Jamie grabbed hold of the collar to his shirt, gently pulling him back to him.

"Ye will tell him that ye're sorry or…" Jamie said when he saw Donald heading for the house and called to him. "Go tae the barn an' get the strap!"

Donald looked at him then at Hamish when he nodded and ran off. They waited for him to come back with a long leather strap and he handed it to Jamie. Franklin looked at the strap then at Hamish and swallowed.

"Ye're really nae going tae…" he said as Jamie nodded and placed his hand on Hamish's shoulder.

"So, what is it? You tell Robby that ye're sorry or do we go tae the post?" Jamie asked when Hamish wrenched himself out of Jamie's grip, reached down, picked up the stick and walked to the wooden post that stuck out of the ground. Sighing, Jamie, Ashley, Donald, Robby and Franklin walked to the post and Hamish reached out, placing his hands against the smooth wood.

"Hamith, ye dinnae have tae…" Ashley said but Hamish shook his head and the stick was lying on the ground near his feet. Nodding, Jamie walked closer when he lowered Hamish's breeches and Hamish placed his forehead against the post. Closing his eyes, Jamie wrapped some of the strap around his fist when he lifted his arm and the loud crack of the strap filled the air as it moved across Hamish' bottom.

"I hit him four more times then he told Robby he was sorry," Jamie said and Duer nodded.

"I still can't believe you did that," he said.

"Well, it's how it was done back then. Today, doing something like that would be child abuse but, then, it was considered a part of growing up. I got the strap when I was a lad as well."

"I never got the strap," Zoe said and Jamie looked at her, arching an eyebrow at her.

"No?" he asked and she shook her head.

"Daddy just spanked my bottom," she said with a smile and Jamie tickled her armpits, making her giggle.

"Did Hamish go to school with your other children?" Duer asked.

"No, he was sent tae a private school in Edinburgh. My father-in-law paid for it an; Hamish came home in the summer. He did think we were trying tae get rid of him though," Jamie said and closed his eyes again.


	129. Chapter 129

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Nine

The sound of crying woke Jamie when he moved the sheepskin blanket back, sat up and lit the candle in the holder on the table by the bed. He picked up the holder as he walked by the beds then stopped when he came to Hamish's bed. Placing the holder on the table by Hamish's bed, he knelt down and watched the tears trickling down Hamish's face. He was six years old at the time and he balled his left hand into a fist.

"I dinnae want tae go, Daddy," he whispered and Jamie stroked his hair, wondering how he knew he was there.

"But ye were excited when we talked aboot it at dinner," Jamie whispered and Hamish sighed.

"Aye, but that's before Alex said the only reason ye're sending me there is tae get rid of me," he said and Jamie looked over at the bed where Alexander was sleeping.

"He did, did he?" Jamie asked and Hamish nodded. "Well, he is dead wrong. Yer mother an' I would never do something like that."

"Then why are ye sending me away?"

"I told ye, the school is better for teaching someone who…"

"Is a freak?" he asked with a sober look to his face and Jamie's heart caught in his chest.

"Who called ye a freak?"

"Old Miss McGrady at the market," he said with a sigh. "She said that I wouldnae amount tae anything but a beggar."

"Well, she is an old gossip an' doesnae ken what she is talking aboot. Ye can be whatever ye set your mind on."

"I want tae be a painter like ye," he said and Jamie brushed the tears from Hamish's eyes.

"Ye do, eh?" Jamie asked with a smile and Hamish nodded. "Well, mebbe I'll teach ye how tae paint when ye come home in the summer."

"They'll let me come home? Alex said ye'd never see me again."

"Alex is going tae get his bottom smacked in the morning," Jamie growled and Hamish half smiled. "Now, I want ye tae close yer eyes an' go back tae sleep."

Jamie softly hummed as he stroked Hamish's hair and Hamish closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

"I did give Alex the strap an' made him tell Hamish he was sorry," Jamie said as he opened his eyes and Duer nodded.

"Was Daddy a good student?" Zoe asked.

"Aye, but he was also a prankster. Blessed Mother knows how he was able tae do it, mind," Jamie said with a smile and Duer softly laughed.

"Then he met Mommy, got married, had Moira an' me an' we came here," Zoe said and Jamie nodded. "How old were you when you…died?"

Jamie looked at her as he sighed and Duer noticed a shadow move across Jamie's eyes.

"_Is there something wrong?" _he thought, setting up a privacy block.

"_Aye, I never told anyone, but I was pretty sick for a long time," _Jamie thought. _"It was my heart, you see. I had a few small attacks over the years an' nearly died after the explosion."_

"_The shock of losing your son and his family was enough to cause a major coronary episode?"_

"Hey, no fair talking in your heads," Zoe said then yelped after Jamie ticked her armpits.

"Sorry!" Duer said, bugging his eyes out at her and she giggled.

"Anyway, I was ninety-nine years old when I died," Jamie said and Zoe placed her head against his chest.

"Were you sick?" she asked and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head.

"Aye, I was very sick."

"You dinnae look sick, just angry," she said and Jamie smiled.

"Well, that's because I didnae want anyone tae ken that I was sick."

"What was wrong with you?"

"It had tae do with my heart. Sometimes it wouldnae beat right."

"It sounds fine now," she said as his hearts thumped soft and slow in her ear.

"Aye, but, back then, it didnae an' I had tae take this terrible medicine."

"Oh, you mean that's what was in that black glass bottle on your dresser? Grannie showed it tae me once."

"Aye, and I didnae like taking it, it tasted like old bath water."

"Ew!" she said, scrunching her face up then sighed. "Did it hurt when you died?"

"Uh, no, I just closed my eyes an' went tae sleep," he said then looked at Duer.

"_I remember saying I love you tae Roselie then closed my eyes an' my heart stopped," _Jamie thought after placing up a privacy block and Duer sighed.

"Then what happened?" Zoe asked.

"That's the odd thing. I dinnae remember. All I remember was it was dark for a long time then I woke up."

"Like when you had your accident?"

"Aye, something like that," he said then looked at Duer. "Do you ken what happened?"

"Yes, I do. See, I was talking with the Doctor after he had put your soul back together and we decided that the only person who could give us tell us what happened was the other Jamie's father, Doctor Jason McCrimmon, " Duer said and closed his eyes.

Duer was surprised to find that Doctor Jason McCrimmon worked for the Scotland branch of Torchwood and was happy that he was wearing the imager while walking down the hallway. Torchwood Scotland was housed in the castle where he and Marion met Queen Victoria and he could still hear the growling of the werewolf they encountered. Paranormal Investigations was painted in black letters on the door as he opened the door and walked inside the room. He walked by the other investigators when he came to the desk where Doctor McCrimmon worked and he was surprised to find that he was a tall man with blonde hair and gray eyes.

"Excuse me, are you Doctor Jason McCrimmon?" Duer said with a Scottish accent and Doctor McCrimmon looked up from the photographs he had on the desk.

"Aye, that would be me," he said with a nod of his head and Duer blinked.

"I'm Captain Douglas Fraser," Duer said, showing him the Torchwood identification that Jack had gotten for him and Doctor McCrimmon looked at them.

"What can I do for you, Sir?"

"It's more like what I can do for you," Duer said softly then looked at the others, sitting on the chair next to the desk. "I heard that your son and daughter went missing."

"Aye, they have," Doctor McCrimmon sighed, looking at the picture frame on his desk. The other Jamie and Zoe smiled at them as Duer reached over and picked up the frame. He had met Zoe while they were looking for Jenna and Zoe had gone off with their boss, Dok-Tor after Jenna and Jamie decided to stay with them.

"Is it true that your son was ill?"

"Well, I wouldnae call him ill," he said and pointed at the picture in Duer's hands. "He doesnae look like me, does he?"

"Uh, no, he doesnae," Duer said. Doctor McCrimmon handed Duer a picture of a portrait and was slightly stunned to see that it was a portrait of Jamie sitting on a chair and a little boy, who was holding a stick n his lap, was sitting on Jamie's lap.

"I found that in the Edinburgh Museum. They said that it was a self portrait but no one knew the artist."

"Pa-paw, that's you an' Daddy," Zoe whispered and Jamie nodded, hushing her.

"As you can see, he looks more like the man in the portrait," Doctor McCrimmon said and Duer nodded.

"And you think that was Jamie McCrimmon?" he asked and Doctor McCrimmon nodded.

"When Jamie was three years old, he used to have these fits, you see, I had a friend hypnotize Jamie and we made contact with James McCrimmon. We asked him what he looked like and he asked for some paper and something to draw with. This is what he drew," Doctor McCrimmon said when he reached into the top drawer of the desk and took out a piece of paper, handing it to Duer.

"I remember drawing that," Jamie whispered as they looked at the drawing and Zoe hushed him, making him smile.

Duer looked at the drawing then at the picture when he nodded and handed the drawing back to Doctor McCrimmon.

"They do look alike," Duer said and Doctor McCrimmon sighed.

"They dinnae just look alike. They are the same man," he said and Duer's eyes went wide. "You see, I ran some genetic tests on Jamie when he was four and found out that there were no sign of any of my genetic traits or my wife's."

"That's impossible!"

"That's what I said when I found out."

"Then how did it happen?"

"I think it has to do with when my wife disappeared. You see, my wife, Sarah, she was investigating a haunting then vanished for seven months. When she came back, she was in a hospital in Inverness with a baby in her arms. She couldn't explain where she had been, but she was alright and I was pleased to see my son."

"So she was two months pregnant when she disappeared?"

"Yes, now, you said that you could help me find my children?" he asked as Duer stood up and took the file out of his coat. Handing the file to him, Duer walked to the door when he turned and saw Doctor McCrimmon looking at him. "Is this true?"

"Yep," Duer said then left the office and went inside the TARDIS just as Doctor McCrimmon ran down the hallway after him. Duer turned as he looked at him then sighed, closing the door.

"I'm still confused. What happened tae Sarah?" Jamie asked and Duer sighed.

"Are you Doctor Sarah McCrimmon?" Duer asked as he walked up the hill and Sarah turned around, watching him walk closer. He has used the TARDIS to locate her and noticed her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her hazel eyes shimmered in the sunlight as he stopped in front of her and she placed her hands on her hips. She was wearing jeans, work boots, a blue jumper and a black down jacket. He could smell her elevated hormone level as he smiled and placed his hands in his pockets.

"Aye, I am, who are you?" she asked as he showed her the identification that Jack gave him and she looked at it. "What can I do for you, Sir?"

"Well, I was wondering what you are doing on top of a hill in an old Scottish kirkyard," he said as she looked around and sighed.

"Well, it has to do with a mystery. According to the caretaker, there have been sightings of a figure of a man sitting here on top of this hill near this grave," she said and Duer looked at the gravestone. It was Jamie's grave as he knelt down on his haunches and looked at the ground.

"Is it me, or has someone's been digging here?" he asked, standing up.

"That's the mystery," she said when he sighed and took the sonic screwdriver out of the pocket of his coat. "What is that?"

"It's a special scanner," he said then pointed the sonic screwdriver at the grave and frowned. "Do you have any ultra sound equipment?"

"Yes," she said as they walked to two men standing near the table where the equipment was sitting and Duer looked at them. One man was tall with long black tied back by a black cord and was wearing a cream color jumper, jeans and work boots and the other man was medium size with gray hair and green eyes and was wearing black trousers, work boots, a black jumper and a red down jacket and Duer noticed an odd look in the man's eyes.

"Michael Ashe, David McCasey, this is Captain Douglas Fraser from the main office," Sarah said as the men nodded and Duer looked at the equipment on the table.

"Blimey, looks like you lot are ready to do some ghost busting," Duer said then smiled. "Ghost Busters was a great film, dinnae you think? Mind you, the whole idea of a marshmallow ghost seems a bit weird."

"Have you ever seen one?" McCasey asked, looking down his nose at Duer.

"Oh, yeah, tons of times," Duer said as he thought about Canary Warf and the Cybermen's invasion and a cold shiver moved through him.

"Here is the ultra sound scanner," Sarah said as she pointed to the metal detector looking machine and he picked it up, heading for the grave. Sarah showed him how to use the scanner and he looked at the screen.

"Uh-oh," he said and Sarah moved closer, looking at the screen.

"What's wrong?"

"One of the coffins is missing," Duer said and Jamie looked at Duer, who opened his eyes.

"Whose coffin was missing?" Jamie asked and Duer sighed.

"It was yours," Duer said and Jamie and Zoe's eyes went wide.


	130. Chapter 130

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty

"But why would they take my coffin?" Jamie asked and Duer closed his eyes.

"Why would anyone want to steal a coffin?" Sarah asked as Duer handed her the scanner then knelt down on his haunches and took his glasses out of his pocket, placing the glasses on. He poked his finger at the ground when he stood up and walked around the grave, his hands behind his back.

"That is a very good question," Duer said as he looked at Ashe and McCasey and frowned. "Tell me, how long have you been here?"

"Well, I just arrived two days ago," Sarah said then looked at the men. "Those two have been here for a week."

"Ah," Duer said then took out the sonic screwdriver, scanning the grave. He placed the sonic screwdriver away when he took the scanner from her and checked the readings.

"Finding anything?"

"Yep," Duer said, popping the "p" then wiggled a finger for her to come closer. She walked closer while he showed her what was on the screen and her eyes went wide.

"Is that right?" she whispered.

"Yep, someone dug up the coffin seven days ago," he said when he noticed something and blinked. He started following a long slide pattern in the dirt from the grave to the edge of the hill then looked down at the long slide of dirt and blinked. Sarah had followed him when she stood next to him and Duer took the glasses off, placing them in his pocket. "Well, now we know where it went."

"Do you think…?" she asked as she glanced over at Ashe and McCasey and Duer slightly nodded his head. "What now?"

"I suggest we turn around very slowly," he whispered when he heard a soft clicking sound and they turned around, seeing that Ashe and McCasey were pointing guns at them. "So, who are you really and what did you do with the coffin?"

"Who are you?" Ashe asked as he walked closer and took the scanner out of Duer's hand.

"Fine, if you must know, I'm the Doctor," Duer said and Sarah looked at him, her eyes going wide.

"Are you serious?" she asked and Duer nodded, taking the imager off and brushing his fingers through his hair.

"Now, mind telling me why you took the coffin?" Duer asked as Ashe and McCasey walked closer and held the guns tightly in their hands.

"We needed it," McCasey asked.

"What did you need it for?"

"What else? We needed it as bait to draw you out, Doctor," Ashe said.

"Ah, well, who do you work for, if you don't mind me asking? Or is this a dumb question and you do work for Torchwood?"

"Aye, we work for Torchwood," Ashe said.

"Well, now that we cleared that up, where is the coffin?" Duer asked, trying to keep his anger in check.

"This way," McCasey growled as they headed down the hill and Duer held onto Sarah's hand. He gently squeezed her fingers as they walked to the large tent at the back of the camp they had made and Sarah glanced back at Ashe.

"So that's why you wouldn't let me go in there," she said and Ashe growled at her. They walked into the tent when Duer felt his hearts racing and Jamie covered Zoe's eyes.

"Pa-paw, I cannae see!" she said, wiggling on his lap and he moved his hands away.

Lying on a white sheet on the table were Jamie's skeletal remains and the coffin sat on the floor next to the table. Duer walked closer while McCasey followed him and Duer looked down at the remains. He was amazed that the remains were intact and wisps of white hair clung to the skull. He looked at the tattered remains of the clothing they had buried Jamie in but something was missing and he blinked, balling his hands into fists.

"Jamie," Duer sighed then turned, looking at McCasey. "How did you find out about him?"

"It is quite simple, really. We have extensive files on you and know all about your companions. In fact, we should bring them in, seeing that they're a threat to Earth security," McCasey said and Duer's stomach did a flip. He thought of Sarah Jane and Luke, Martha, Mickey, Jack, Wilf then Donna and his hearts went faster. What if they did take Donna? She had no memory of him but, if they did push her too far, she would remember and die.

"If you touch any of them…" Duer said and Ashe laughed.

"Och, like you care," he said and Duer growled then looked at McCasey.

"How did you know that Jamie was here?"

"Well, we do have a sample of your artron energy trail, so we just followed it and came here. True, it was a faint signal, but it was enough."

"But why dig him up?" Sarah asked after finding her voice again.

"As proof that we really had his….?" Ashe asked then looked at Duer. "What was he, eh? I heard rumors that you two were really close. Did you have a thing for boys?"

"Eh?" Zoe asked and Duer opened his eyes. Jamie whispered in her ear as she scrunched up her face and frowned. "Yuck, Pa-paw wouldnae do that!"

"Got that right," Duer said and closed his eyes.

"No, he was…my son," Duer said as they looked at him and Sarah frowned.

"He was?" she asked and Duer slightly nodded his head.

"It's true, Pa-paw always thought of me as his son just like I thought of him as my da," Jamie whispered as Zoe smiled and snuggled against his chest.

"If he is your son, then why was he buried up there next to that woman?" McCasey asked.

"I left him in the past and that was his wife," Duer said softly and Sarah slid her fingers into his, making him fold his fingers around hers. Squeezing her fingers, he looked at Ashe and clenched his jaw. "So, now that you've got me, what are you going to do me?"

"We're going to take you back to Torchwood," Ashe said with a grin.

"I can't wait to see what they're going to do with you," McCasey said when the air turned ice cold and a white mist moved across the ground, coming into the tent. "What the hell?"

A low moan suddenly filled the air while they looked at each other and Sarah gasped, pointing to the remains.

"Uh, Jamie, I think I should stop," Duer said as he opened his eyes and looked at Zoe.

"Why?" Zoe asked.

"This is going to get scary."

"Och, Pa-paw, I wonae be scared. I watched Fright Night with Uncle Adam's friend, David, in it during movie night last Friday," Zoe said and both Jamie and Duer's eyes went wide.

"Hold on, I thought that was an R rated movie," Jamie said.

"Yep, it is," Duer said.

"Uncle Alan cut out the bad words," Zoe said with a grin and Duer rolled his eyes, closing them.

"_Alan?" _Duer thought as he set up a privacy block and sighed.

"_Beep….Alan's not in at the moment…Please leave a message," _Alan thought and Duer softly smiled.

"_Did you let Hamish's daughter, Zoe, watch Fright Night?"_

"_Uh, yeah, but I bleeped out the bad words."_

"_But it was still graphically violent."_

"_Well, she wasn't the one ducking behind the pillow when it did. That, Mate, was Cam," _Alan teased and Duer frowned.

"_Well, be that as it may, you don't show a nine year old a movie like that."_

"_Hamish said it was ok."_

"_Did you tell him what it was about?" _Duer thought and heard a soft cough.

"_No, but…"_

"_Right, to the naughty corner with you, Mister," _Duer thought and heard a loud gasped. Suddenly a cartoon version of Alan appeared in his head and cartoon Alan fell to his knees, grabbing hold of Duer's ankles..

"_No, please, anything but that!" _Alan thought as the cartoon Alan kissed Duer's feet and Duer laughed inside his head. _"Besides, Zoe liked the movie."_

"_Yeah, she did say that she wasn't scared. Ok, I will forgive you this time," _Duer thought as the cartoon Alan jumped up, gave him a hug and ran off. Duer let his mind go when he sighed and softly shook his head.

The mist grew thicker while Duer moved Sarah closer to his side and the right hand of the remains started moving. The fingers flexed when the middle finger cracked then fell off and Duer caught the finger before it fell to the ground.

"Nnnnh," the remains moaned as the head started moving and the left hand reached up, removing the linen strap that kept the jaw tied shut.

"Blessed Mother!" Ashe cried out as he crossed himself and backed away.

"You're doing this!" McCasey said as he grabbed Sarah and held her against him. "Make it stop or I'll kill her!"

The remains started to sit up when the head turned then the skin around the eye sockets snapped open and Duer saw the yellow light shining in the sockets. Duer removed the sonic screwdriver from his pocket when he scanned the remains and blinked, putting the sonic screwdriver back in his pocket.

"Blimey," Duer whispered when the remains stood up and turned its head toward him.

"Leave him alone!" Sarah said as the remains looked at her and titled its head to one side. The remains took two staggering steps toward her when Ashe took aim and fired his gun. The remains jerked as the bullets hit it then looked at Ashe, walking toward him.

"Stay away from me!" Ashe said as he emptied the clip into the remains but it didn't stop then growled, making a fist with its left hand.

"Stop!" Duer shouted as the remains stopped and turned, looking at him. Walking slowly toward the remains, he held his hands up then stood in front of the remains and the remains tilted its head to one side. "It's alright. I won't let them harm you."

The remains shivered as the bullets fell to the ground and they looked down at the bullets then up at each other.

"Ok, guess I was a little late with the "they won't hurt you" bit, but you can't do this," Duer said and the remains looked at Ashe, who looked like he was about to faint and Duer waved for him to sit down. Ashe sat down as he placed his head between his legs and breathed through his mouth. The remains looked at McCasey as it growled and Duer placed a hand on its shoulder. "No."

"Get rid of it, Doctor, or I WILL kill the woman!" McCasey snarled when Sarah swung her leg back and kicked him in the shin. McCasey screamed as he let go of her then slammed his fist into her stomach. "You bitch!"

Sarah crumbled to the ground as the remains looked at her then at McCasey and arched its head back. A golden light shimmered around the remains as its mouth fell open and an inhuman scream echoed in the air. The red light in the sockets grew brighter as the head moved forward and McCasey and Ashe headed for the opening in the tent. The golden light soared out of the remains as it chased after the men and Duer walked to the opening in the tent. His eyes went wide as the golden light hit the men and they screamed, their bodies bursting into bloody pieces and Duer closed his eyes.

"Ew," Zoe said as Jamie nodded and looked at Duer.

"What was that?" he asked and Duer hushed him.

"Doctor?" Sarah asked as he turned around and ran to her. Kneeling down next to her, he closed his eyes and gently held her hand. Suddenly a blue light appeared while Sarah blinked and saw the Doctor, Alan, Adam and Jack standing next to him and Duer opened his eyes, looking at them. "Who are they?"

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said and she looked at Duer.

"I thought you were the Doctor."

"I am, but he's the Doctor as well. He's from another universe," Duer said and Adam knelt down next to him.

"Hi, I'm Adam," he said then pointed to Jack, who was standing near the opening of the tent. "That bloke over there is Jack."

"And I'm Alan," Alan said.

"I'm Doctor Sarah McCrimmon," she said when Jack walked to them and stood next to the Doctor.

"You better come see this," Jack said as the Doctor nodded and followed him to the opening of the tent. The golden light was trashing the camp when Duer walked to them and sighed, walking out of the tent. He walked to the golden light as things flew through the air and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Mary!" he shouted as the golden light stood still and floated a few inches off the ground.

"Mary? Are you saying that light is my daughter?" Jamie asked as Duer opened his eyes and looked at him. Jamie's daughter, Mary, had been turned into a fairy when she was four years old and Jamie never forgave the fey for stealing his daughter.

"Yep," Duer said, popping the "p".

"How did she get into Pa-paw's body?" Zoe asked.

"Well, that was an interesting story," Duer said then closed his eyes and sat back in the chair.


	131. Chapter 131

Chapter One Hundred Thirty One

Four year old Hope giggled as she played with some large plastic farm and zoo animals that her parents had gotten her for her birthday. She was sitting in the living room of their house near the patio doors. At the moment only she and the Doctor were at home while Rain was off at the store getting something for supper. The sunlight streamed in making warm rectangles of light. She was sitting in one of the rectangles playing and making up a narrative as she played with her animals.

"And Cow goes hello to you, Lion," she said, picking up a brown cow and a lion in her hands and making them face each other. "Hello, Lion, I'm Cow, whatcha doing? I'm goin' to the shops, Cow, wanna come with me? Okay, Lion."

Hope sat the animals on the carpet and made them walk while she sang a made up song. She was so busy playing and singing and talking to herself that she didn't realize that the Doctor had sat down halfway up the stairs and was listening to her with a smile on his face.

"NOOO!" Hope suddenly yelled as she leapt up from the floor with a plastic dog in her hand. "The doggy is flying away! Come back, doggy!"

She turned to run to the stairs with the dog and froze when she finally saw her father sitting there.

"Go ahead and play, don't mind me," the Doctor said. "I'm just enjoying your little performance art."

"I'm playing, Daddy."

"I know, that's why I'm enjoying it so much," he replied. "I never did this when I was your age."

Hope climbed the steps.

"You never played with toys?" she asked as she sat down beside him.

"I did but not the sort of toys you played with and I never made up stories about them like you do."

"How come?"

"Because I never thought to do that. I grew up in a place where people didn't have much imagination and no one thought to invent plastic animals or make them talk. Not to mention I grew up very fast and had to be an adult at an earlier age. And I have a very mean father who didn't let me be a child, that's why I don't do that with you."

"How come your daddy was mean to you?" Hope asked.

"I…was a bit different and my daddy thought I was a loser because I wasn't the sort of son he thought I should be. So he…hurt me and spanked me very hard and that's another reason why I don't do that with you or your brothers and sisters. I want you to grow up and be a happy, healthy adult and have a fun childhood."

"Come and play with me, Daddy. Come and have fun," Hope said, standing up.

"But I'm having fun listening to you making up silly stories," the Doctor said.

"Come and play with me, Daddy. Come and be like me for a bit."

The Doctor grinned at that and stood up. They went back downstairs and the Doctor lay down on his stomach beside the animals. He watched while Hope ran upstairs.

"Oh, my darling," he whispered to himself as he watched Hope running back towards her room. "I'm so glad you inherited a human child's imagination. I love watching you use it and listening to you making up cute and silly stories. That's why I wanted the new generation of Gallifreyan to have a human imagination so they can imagine as you do."

A moment later, Hope ran back down the stairs, a toy house in one hand and a toy barn in the other. The Doctor watched fondly as she put the toy buildings down and lay down on her stomach beside her father. Hope picked up the lion and made it go into the house.

"I'm home now," Hope said. "Who else is here with me?"

She looked at her father who had gone back to listening quietly. He got the hint and looked through the pile of animals, picking out a brown horse. He put the horse in the house.

"I am Arthur," he said in a deep voice. "I'm here with you."

"Hello, Arthur," Hope said, turning the lion towards the horse, "I'm bored, wanna go to the circus?"

"Sure," the Doctor said. "Where is the circus?"

"In the barn, come on, let's go!"

The Doctor grinned as he and Hope made their animals walk towards the barn. Hope opened the barn doors and they put the animals inside. The Doctor looked inside the empty barn.

"There's no one here, Lion," he said.

"The circus is going to start soon, Arthur," Hope replied.

"Ah, I hope we'll have fun," the Doctor said.

He groaned when the mobile rang in his pocket.

"Blast, would have to ring right now," he said, shifting to his right side so he could reach in and get it.

He pulled it out and rolled back onto his stomach while Hope picked an elephant out of the animal pile.

"Yes?" the Doctor said into the mobile while he pulled a giraffe out and put it beside the elephant.

"I'm out for walkies," Alan said. "And I just wondered what my brother is up to."

"I'm playing with Hope. We're playing with plastic animals," he said while Hope pulled a zebra out of the pile.

"Ah, done plenty of that with my children. Love it."

"Yeah, so do I. Nothing like my childhood but then you know that."

"Indeed. Children are a blessing," Alan said.

"Especially children with human imagination," the Doctor said, pulling a gorilla out of the pile.

"Yes. Always entertaining to watch the wee ones make up stories."

"Well, I told Hope that I didn't do this as a kid so she insisted I play with her while her mum goes grocery shopping."

"Ah, Smelly Belly is getting groceries, is she? Perhaps I should walk over and irritate her."

"I didn't say where she went," the Doctor said, smiling when Hope started making the animals dance for Lion and Arthur.

"And where did she go, pray tell?"

"Offworld. To Galatus, to a specialty foods store. We're having Salmanian stew tonight and she needed some Rombaga meat for it. So unless you hop in Daisy and got to Galatus and try to find the store, you won't find her."

Suddenly, the front door opened and Alan stuck his head inside.

"Neglected to say I was nearby," he said, coming inside as he and the Doctor ended their conversation. "Wanted to see what you were doing, mind if I come in and watch playtime?"

"No, go ahead. We're going to the circus, aren't we, love?" the Doctor said to Hope.

"Yes. Me and Arthur are at the circus and the animals are dancing now," Hope said.

Alan closed the door and strolled over. He started to sit down on the sofa when Hope called him over to play with them. For the next hour, the three of them played with the animals, laughing and smiling at Hope who was making up most of the story and singing songs. The Doctor and Alan kept prompting her, saying little things that would make her go on with the story so they could just listen and enjoy it. Then the front door opened and Rain entered the house with a small brown paper sack in her right hand. She paused and looked to see what they were doing while she closed the door.

"Looks like the three of you have been having fun while I was gone," she said.

"We've been playing, Mummy," Hope said.

"We've been using our imaginations," the Doctor said proudly.

"I was a donkey," Alan said.

He eyed her when Rain bit her lip at that.

"Okay, I'll be an adult and resist making the obvious joke," she said while the Doctor sniggered and Alan discretely flipped her off. "I suppose the donkey is staying for dinner?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind it, except I'm sure I must go and get Mrs. Donkey," Alan said.

"Don't bother. I ended up going with her and I invited her and you, except she has no idea you're over here so I'm sure she's searching the house for you and…"

She paused when she heard Rose in her mind contacting Alan, asking where he was. Alan mentally spoke to her as everyone got up off the floor.

"Well, gotta go home and get the missus. But thank you so, so much for playtime. I needed that," Alan said, hugging Hope. "I'll be back later for suppertime so you be good and don't give your daddy multiple heart attacks, yeah?"

"You come back so we can play some more."

"I will, rest assured of that," Alan said, hugging her tightly and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Hope took his hand and followed him to the door while Rain came up beside her husband.

"I have a feeling you needed that playtime more than Alan did," she said softly to him.

"Always, Latara. Nothing like a little bit of playtime to relieve some stress and get a bit of the childhood I never had."

Rain nodded. She kissed his cheek and he nuzzled her forehead before Rain headed into the kitchen to make supper.


	132. Chapter 132

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Two

"Mary!" Duer shouted again as the golden light moved toward him and floated a few inches off the ground. The golden light shifted as it took form of a young fey woman with long white hair and hazel eyes and her hair blew around from the invisible wind that surrounded her.

"Ye seem tae ken my name, Sir," she said softly and Duer nodded his head. "Who are ye?"

"I am the Doctor," he said as she blinked and brushed some hair behind her pointed ears.

"I have heard tales of a mortal that goes by that name."

"Then you know it is not a good idea to make me angry."

"How have I made ye angry?" she asked and Duer pointed to the bloody pieces lying on the ground. "I had tae do that."

"Why?" Duer asked, giving her a pleading look.

"They disturbed my father's grave."

"And who is your father?" Duer asked even though he knew who her father was.

"My father is James Robert McCrimmon," she said, lifting her chin into the air.

"But you're a fey. How could you have a mortal father?"

"I wasnae always a fey, Doctor, I was mortal once."

"Ah, so they took you then?"'

"Nay, I went with them willingly."

"Why would anyone do that?"

"I have my reasons."

"But, surely, they would have erased any memories of your old life."

"Aye, the Great Queen removed the memories of my old life, but she gave them back so I could come an' say farewell tae my father. When I came here, I found these mortals violating his grave."

"And you killed them!" Duer growled and she nodded her head.

"So, tell me, Doctor, what does this have anything tae do with ye? How do ye ken my father?"

"He used to travel with me."

"He was a friend tae ye then?"

"Yes," Duer said then looked down and she moved closer, tilting her head to one side.

"He was more than a friend, aye?" she asked and he nodded. 'Then ye shouldnae mind me destroying the men that violated his grave."

"Of course I mind! They were living beings! Do you think your father would approve of what you just did? No, he would not!" Duer said and Mary growled at him.

"How dare ye claim tae ken what my father would have approved of or nae? Ye have no idea what he went through! Aye, it is true that I was only four when the fey took me, but I heard my parents talking aboot his nae being able tae remember who he was," she said then moved closer and locked eyes with him. "Ye said that he traveled with ye. Do ye ken what happened?"

"Yes, I do know," Duer said when Sarah moaned and he ran to her, holding her in his arms. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she said while holding her stomach and Duer's hearts clenched his chest, thinking that she was losing the baby. He knew that if she did lose the baby then the other Jamie wouldn't be born and Jamie would never have his mind put back together.

"Adam!" Duer shouted as Adam ran out of the tent and Duer gently lifted Sarah off the ground and held her against him.

"What's wrong?" Adam asked as Sarah placed her head on Duer's shoulder and moaned in his ear.

"I need to get her back to the TARDIS," he said then set up a privacy block.

"_I think she's about to lose her baby. If that happens then Jamie won't be able to get his mind put back together," _he thought and Adam looked at Sarah.

"_You mean this is the mother of the other Jamie?" _Adam thought and Duer nodded.

"Doctor!" Adam shouted as the Doctor, Jack and Alan ran out of the tent and stopped next to them.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked as Duer adjusted his hold on Sarah and she moaned.

"_I think she's about to lose her baby," _Duer thought.

"_Oh shit," _Alan thought, looking at Sarah.

"_To make matter worse, this is the other Jamie's mother. If she loses this baby then Jamie won't get his memories back."_

"Right, hold on," the Doctor said when he reached into his pocket as he searched with his fingers for something and Jack looked from Duer to Sarah.

"To you want me to take her to Torchwood?" he asked and Duer shook his head.

"Found it!" the Doctor said when he took the Stattenheim remote control and handed it to Adam. Adam adjusted the setting when he held it in his hand, whistled and pushed the button. A low wheezing and grinding sound filled the air as Adam's TARDIS appeared and Adam handed the Stattenheim remote control back to the Doctor.

"What is that?" Mary asked as she moved toward the TARDIS and the Doctor, Alan and Adam stood in front of the TARDIS.

"None of your fairy business," Alan said while glaring at her and Adam arched an eyebrow.

"Look, we don't have time for this! Move!" Duer said as they got of the way and he sent a message to the TARDIS to move the medical bay next to the control room. Adam opened the door as Duer ran inside the TARDIS and Mary flew inside, following close behind him. Duer ran into the medical bay while the doors closed behind him and placed Sarah on the bed. He saw Mary standing on the other side of the bed while the TARDIS examined Sarah and Duer gently stroked Sarah's hair.

"Please, Doctor, tell me that I'm not losing my baby," Sarah said softly as he kissed the top of her head and looked at her with a sad look in his eyes.

"I don't know," he said as he looked at the screen and sighed, not liking what he saw.

"What is that?" Mary said as she pointed to the screen and he looked at her.

"That is her baby."

"Is there something wrong with it?" she asked when he pointed to the door and she looked at the door. "Do you with me tae leave?"

"Yes, and I'll join you in a moment," he said as she nodded then left the room and he looked at Sarah. "I'll be right back."

"Doctor?" she asked as Duer took Sarah's hand and smiled sadly at her.

"I promise," he said then let go of her hand and left the room. He glared at Mary when he walked to her and placed his arms across his chest. "Are you happy now?"

"Ye think that I have anything tae do with this?"

"You have EVERYTHING to do with this! She is going to lose her child because of the trauma from what you have done! You have killed an innocent baby!"

Mary thought for a few seconds then turned back into a golden light and flew down the hallway. Duer chased after the golden light when the golden light flew by the Doctor, Jack, Adam and Alan then flew into the tent and they followed it. The golden light flew over the remains when the remains disintegrated into dust and Duer's eyes went wide.

"No!" Duer shouted when the dust swirled around the golden light then the golden light flew out of the tent and they looked at Duer. Growling, Duer ran out of the tent when he saw the golden light vanishing into the TARDIS and he ran inside, seeing the golden light leaving the control room. He followed the golden light when the golden light flew into the medical bay and Sarah looked at the golden light then at Duer.

"Doctor, what is that?" she asked when the golden light changed back into Mary and the dust blew around her.

"Do ye wish tae save yer bairn?" she asked and Sarah looked at her then at Duer.

"Aye, I do," she said as Mary smiled and Sarah gasped, arching her back.

"Leave her alone!" Duer shouted when Mary waved her hand and he sailed out of the medical bay, hit the wall and slid to the floor.

"Pa-paw, she's going tae hurt that woman!" Zoe said as Duer held up a finger and hushed her.

Duer saw the Doctor, Adam, Alan and Jack running down the hallway as he tried to get up but Adam knelt down next to him and placed his hand on Duer's shoulder.

"No, don't move," Adam said while Duer slowly nodded and the Doctor walked to the door to the medical bay, looking at Mary glaring back at him.

"Leave us be!" Mary shouted when the medical bay was filled with a golden light and the dust blew around Mary then the bed and Sarah gasped, clawing at the sheet. The dust flew into the air then vanished inside Sarah as she screamed and Mary removed something from the black sack that was tied to her hip.

"Wait, what's in there?" the Doctor demanded and Mary looked at him, smiling.

"It is a secret," she said then turned to the bed and opened the black sack. Sarah watched while Mary removed a small white orb and Sarah swore she could hear a voice coming from the small white orb.

"What is that, Pa-paw?" Zoe asked.

"That, Zoe Toes, is…well, I'll let her tell it," Duer said with a wink and Zoe nodded.

"The Great Queen took me from my family when I was a wee lass and made me forget them. It was after my father became so ill that she gave me back my memories. I was there when he died and…"

"Pause," Jamie said when he frowned, his lower lip sticking out, then blinked and sat back in the chair. "Och, I remember now. There was someone in the room. I thought it was Rosealie."

"Do you remember anything else?" Duer asked.

"No, I just closed my eyes an' went tae sleep."

"But what did she do?" Zoe asked and Jamie shrugged his shoulders. Duer told the TARDIS to continue and they looked at Mary and Sarah.

"What is that?" Sarah said, interrupting her and Mary looked at the small white orb.

"This is my father's soul. I captured it just as it left him," Mary said and Sarah's eyes went wide.

"Why, in the name of sanity, did you do that?"

"It is because his soul is nae in one piece. If I find the other half, I shall join the pieces together an' send him on his way," Mary said as Duer saw the tears in Jamie's eyes and nodded to Zoe. Zoe walked over to Jamie then sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him.

"That is all well and good, but what about my baby?"

"My father's dust has now bonded with your bairn. It will nae die," Mary said while Duer looked at Adam and Adam nodded, helping him stand up. Duer slowly walked into the medical bay when Mary suddenly spun around and hissed at him. "Stay back!"

"I'm not going to hurt you," Duer said as he held his hands up and Mary glared at him. He walked to the bed as Sarah looked up at him and he smiled down at her. "How do you feel?"

"The pain is gone, but I feel a little strange," she said softly and he brushed her hair back.

"I need you to trust me," he said then looked at Mary and sighed. "Can you give me a few moments alone with her?"

"Why?" Mary asked.

"I need to talk to her about something. Just go wait outside," he said and Mary sighed, leaving the medical bay. Sarah watched as Duer sat with his back to the others and took her hand, wrapping his fingers over hers. "Right, I need you to believe me. I do know what happened to her father and need your permission to do something."

"What did happen to him?"

"Well, to understand what happened to him, I have to tell you about me," Duer said and Sarah smiled at him.

"You don't work for Torchwood, do you?" she asked and his eyes went wide. "Please, Doctor, I AM a paranormal researcher, so I have a, well, six sense when it comes to people. I can tell if they're human or not."

"Cheeky, and you're right, I am not human. I am a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey."

"And this is, what, some sort of metamorphic disguise?" she asked, pointing up and down at his body.

"Nope, this is me!" Duer said as he smiled and she smiled back. He then told her about what a Time Lord was as she nodded and he was amazed on how calm she was.

"And her father traveled with you?"

"Yes," Duer said with a nod of his head.

"When did you meet him?" she asked and Duer told her about Jamie, how they met during the Battle of Culloden, Jamie coming on board the TARDIS and their travels then how the Time Lords were going to send Jamie back to his timeline and she nodded. Duer then told her about the accident that tore Jamie's mind in two and Sarah placed her hand on top of his. "Doctor, it was an accident."

"That's what Jamie told me."

"So you saw him afterwards?"

"Ah, now that's where it gets sticky. You see, the Jamie that told me isn't the Jamie McCrimmon that I met at Culloden."

"Then who is he?" she asked and Duer sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

"He's your unborn son," Duer said and Sarah's eyes went wide.


	133. Chapter 133

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Three

The Doctor sighed as he sat up from the grate. He was tuning up the console and needed a break. His TARDIS was currently in the garage of their house on New Gallifrey so he decided to go inside and get a snack. He closed the panel door and stood up. He went out the door and went inside the main part of the house. He smelled the tempting aroma of grilled cheese and heard it frying and his stomach growled. He figured Rain was making one for their four year old daughter, Hope, but he had a sudden craving for one too.

The moment he entered the kitchen, Hope slid out of her chair at the table and ran up to him.

"Go 'way, Creepy," she said.

The Doctor stared at the impish grin on his face and one of his own spread over his face while he slowly moved his fingers. He brought his arms out while he wiggled his fingers.

"TICKLE!" he bellowed in a deep voice.

"Oops, you better run, baby, he's gonna get ya," Rain said to her.

"I'M NOT AFRAID OF THE OLD WINDBAG!" Hope yelled as she walked up to him.

Rain bent over laughing at the shocked look on her husband's face.

"Windbag?" he said as Rain laughed harder. "Ooooh, that tears it, your grilled cheese is mine now!"

"No! Go 'way," Hope said, pushing on his legs.

The Doctor calmly stood and watched while his daughter struggled to make him move. Rain took a sip of milk and laughed when she saw how hard Hope was trying to move the Doctor while he put his hands in his trouser pockets and stared down at her in silence. Finally, after a minute, Hope gave up and the two of them stood there and stared at one another.

"Ha, I won!" the Doctor said to her.

The Doctor ran out of the room when Hope squealed and chased after him.

"You come back here and get a spankin'!" Rain heard Hope squeal.

She chuckled and turned off the burner.

"Baby, your grilled cheese is done," she called out.

"Ha ha, I got grilled cheese and you don't," she heard Hope say.

There was a pounding of feet and the Doctor zoomed into the room while Hope protested. He put the grilled cheese on a plate with the spatula and held it up triumphantly when Hope ran in.

"Ha ha, I got grilled cheese and you don't," the Doctor said.

"I want my grilled cheese," Hope said, coming up to him and looking up at his face.

"What'll you give me for it?" the Doctor asked.

Hope ran out of the room.

"Hmmm, I wonder what she'll give me for it," the Doctor said to Rain.

Hope returned two minutes later with her Dora the Explorer eiderdown. She laid it at the Doctor's feet and looked up at him.

"This?" the Doctor said while Rain laughed. "What makes you think I want this?"

"It's snuggly soft. I'll give it to you for the grilled cheese."

The Doctor pretended to think that over.

"Hmmm, snuggly soft verses grilled cheese…I can't decide. Do I want a warm body or a warm belly? Hmmmm…"

The Doctor put the plate of grilled cheese up on top of the refrigerator, grabbed the blanket and put it around his daughter. She squealed when he snatched her and the blanket up and held her close to his body.

"Now…" he said while Hope giggled. "I think we'll go in here for a moment…"

Rain watched while the Doctor left the room. The moment he was gone, she took the plate down from the refrigerator. Suddenly, she heard Hope's hysterical laughter followed by the Doctor yelling out, GITCHEE GITCHEE! Hope ran back in the kitchen and hid behind her mother's legs as the Doctor strolled into the kitchen, whistling shrilly with his hands in his pockets. He stopped in front of Rain and leaned over slightly to stare at his daughter.

"Gitchee, gitchee, remember that," he said, taking the plate from Rain. "I am the Oncoming Tickler and I will use force if necessary. So beware!"

"I want my grilled cheeeeeeese," Hope whined.

"Ooooh, okay…here ya go," he said, handing her the plate. "Just remember me when I'm huddled in a corner, cold and hungry, because I didn't get a grilled cheese."

The Doctor feigned weeping while he bent his head and slowly shuffled out of the kitchen. Rain looked at Hope who was watching him go.

"Good, you go 'way and leave me alone!" she yelled when he left the kitchen.

The Doctor came back in the room and stared at Rain.

"Latara, did the bonding process between me and her take place?" he said, poking Hope on the top of the head while she giggled. "Because I seem to recall the daughters must love fathers who love them and not wish them to be huddled in a corner, cold and hungry. Did I do something wrong? Do I need to cut open my stomach, shove her in and carry her for nine months so we can bond?"

"Bye, Daddy," Hope said as she walked past him with the plate into the living room.

"Would making a stomach womb and carrying her around work?" the Doctor said to Rain. "Perhaps if I use that snuggle rucksack thing where you carry the child in front of you while you shop. Would that be enough?"

Rain laughed when Hope ran in, smacked his butt hard and ran back out.

"Or…" the Doctor mused as he rubbed his chin, "perhaps I could spank the living daylights outta her and just fill her full of fear and fearful respect for me. That might be better than bonding."

Hope came back inside, munching on her grilled cheese.

"Mmmm," she said while the Doctor eyed her. "It's GOOD!"

She ran back out while Rain laughed.

"Or tying her to a tree and whipping her unmercifully until blood runs down her body like mini-waterfalls, perhaps that's the solution to this problem," the Doctor mused.

"I think the problem, Thete, is she's your child and she acts like it," Rain said.

"Yes, which is why a good tree whipping might be in order for the little renegade or perhaps a head shove in the loo followed by thirty flushes...Or chain her leg to a stake and get a bear to menace her or…"

He trailed off when Hope came back inside the room, walked over to his pocket and stuck her hand inside it.

"Ahem!" the Doctor said while Hope giggled. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Looking for stuff," Hope said while she ran her hand through his pocket.

"How about if I put my hand on your bum and say that I'm looking for stuff while I whip you unmercifully?"

"You wouldn't whip me, I'm cute," Hope said, pausing in her search to look up at him.

"No, my dear," the Doctor said to Rain, "I think the child's inherited your personality."

"Hope, go and eat your sandwich and let your father rest for awhile," Rain said to her daughter.

Hope took her hand out of his pocket and went back in the other room. The Doctor walked over to the door, peeked out and noticed Hope was settling down behind the coffee table. Her plate was on top of it and she began to eat while she watched TV. The Doctor winked at Rain, opened the kitchen window and climbed out. He walked over to the big bay window by the door and stood at it, staring intently at Hope. Hope, sensing someone was looking at her, turned her head and giggled when he saw her father's intense expression. Then suddenly, the Doctor slammed his hands against the window and bulged his eyes while he pressed his lips to the window. Hope laughed while he made silly faces. And she got up and carried her sandwich over to the window. While he was doing this, Alan was walking by with Rose. They both stopped short and stood on the pavement beside the house, staring at the Doctor. Alan sauntered up to the window and looked inside. Hope squealed with delight and pointed to Alan. The Doctor jerked back and looked at Alan.

"Bored?" Alan said to him.

"I'm entertaining the wee one," the Doctor said to him.

"Ah! Okey-dokey."

Hope laughed when Alan turned around, pressed his butt to the window and pointed to it. Hope smacked the window and Alan jerked his head around and stared at her in shock. The Doctor laughed when Alan ran to the door, opened it and glared at Hope while she squealed and ran for the kitchen.

"VENGEANCE!" Alan screamed while Hope ran around her mother and hid.

Alan ran in the kitchen and bowed to Rain.

"Good day, sister of mine. I am seeking a little miscreant, have you seen her hereabouts? I need to tickle her till no breath remains in her body."

"Um…no, haven't seen the miscreant, sorry," Rain said while Hope giggled behind her.

"Blast. Good day then, Madam," he said with a bow.

Hope peeked out from behind Rain's legs when Alan turned and left. Rain looked at her.

"Are you being naughty?" she said to her daughter.

Hope shook her head emphatically and Rain tousled her hair. The Doctor appeared at the window.

"Is there a pest inside this kitchen? We need to exterminate it," he said.

His eyes bulged when Hope ran over to him. Hope laughed when he let out a high-pitched "Eeee!" and ran away. Rose came to the window and tousled her hair.

"Is your father and uncle being silly?" Rose said to her.

"Yes."

Rose gasped when the Doctor seized her around the middle.

"Greetings, Tarty! I need to keep you away from my daughter so you don't corrupt her!"

Hope laughed and leaned out the window as the Doctor let go of Rose and ran away while he chased her. Alan ran up to the window, leaned down and got nose to nose with his niece.

"This is just like Benny Hill, huh?" he said before he ran away.

Rain came over and bent down beside her.

"They're silly, aren't they?" she asked Hope.

"Yes. I like when they make me laugh," Hope said to her.

"So do I, baby, so do I," Rain said, giving her a hug and a kiss.


	134. Chapter 134

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Four

The sound of children's laughter filled the air while Adam lounged on the lounge chair and pushed his sunglasses up with his finger. Like every Sunday since he came to live with the Doctor's family, the Doctor had a family barbeque and the smell of hotdogs, hamburgers and Navajo tacos drifted up Adam's nose. Smiling, he went back to reading his book when he heard a soft clicking sound and placed the book on his chest. The white cane clicked on the cement as three year old Namid walked toward the lounge and was wearing a blue swimsuit with the Little Mermaid on the front. She moved her hand out in front of her while Adam watched and felt sad, knowing how hard it was for her not being able to see. Namid's hand touched his leg as she moved up his leg and he smiled, moving her hand away from a certain part of his anatomy.

"Daddy?" she asked as Adam sat up then picked her up, placing her on his lap.

"Nope," Adam said as she moved her hand across his chest and blinked.

"Uncle Alan?"

"No, not Uncle Alan either."

"Uncle John?"

"No, but you're getting warmer," Adam said and she smiled.

"Uncle Doody Head," she said and Adam sent an image of his head into her mind and his eyes were wide.

"Who told you to call me that?"

"Uncle Alan," she said as he glared over at Alan, who was trying to dunk Rose under the water, and arched an eyebrow.

"Well, he's a super doody head!" Adam said, pouting then smiled at her. "Are you having fun?"

"No, I'm bored," she sighed and Adam nodded. Three years ago Adam slipped into a coma after having one of his visions and had somehow bonded with Namid and her brother and sister when they were nothing more than mental energy. He wasn't sure if she was the one liked the stories he would tell while in the darkness they shared and he brushed the hair out of his eyes. "Will you tell me a story?"

"Hmm, I think I can do that," he said as he sent out a message to the others then appeared inside her mind, sitting on a high back, overstuffed chair. He was wearing red, blue and white pajamas, a blue dressing gown and had bunny slippers on his feet. Namid walked closer when she sat on his lap and she was wearing a pink Dora the Explorer nightgown. "Are you comfy?"

"Yes," she said with a nod of her head and he tapped the tip of his finger on his lips then smiled.

"This is the story of Rainylocks and the Three Clones."

"That's Goldielocks and the Three Bears, Uncle Adam," she corrected him and he gave her a stunned look.

"It's my story and her name is Rainylocks and they're clones," he said then smiled at her, giving her a wink. "Now, once upon a time, in a deep, scary forest, there lived three clones…"

Namid smiled when they were surrounded by trees and at the center of a glade was a small house. It was made of cream color stone and had a light tan roof made of straw. There were wooden shutters near the windows and a small stone step was in front of the wooden doors. Smoke rose from the chimney and a stack of firewood stood near the house.

"It looks a little like Shrek's house," Namid said while snuggling against Adam and he kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah, it does," Adam said when they heard a soft rustling sound and someone walked out from behind the tall buses. Alan, Adam and John walked out from behind the tall bushes and were wearing tan tunics, brown trousers and black boots. "After spending a long day saving the universe, the three clones headed home for a nice supper and a very long nap."

"What are their names?"

"Well, that one over there is Sulky Clone," Adam said as he pointed to John and John glared at him. "That one there is Handsome Clone."

"What do they call him that?" she asked and Adam gave her a wide eyed look.

"It's because he is the handsome one!" he said and Adam smiled at him. "Now, that one is called Doody Head."

Alan growled as he stuck his tongue out at Adam and Namid giggled.

"Whose turn is it to cook tonight?" John asked.

"I believe it is Doody Head's turn to cook," Adam said and Alan walked to him, breathing hard into his face.

"Don't you start," Alan said and Namid laughed harder.

"Well, it is your turn to cook," Adam said and Alan sighed, walking into the house and slammed the door behind him. "Oh, if we only had someone to cook for us, things would be so much easier!"

"Yes, I agree," John said then sighed, sitting on the stump. "But where will we find such a person?"

"I don't know," Adam said as they heard the sounds of pots and pans being banged together and a loud plume of smoke came from the windows. The door opened as Alan, who was covered in soot, walked out of the house and waved his arms.

"Dinner's ready," he said as they shrugged then walked into the house and the door closed behind them.

"Uncle Alan cooks better than he does," Namid said as she giggled and Adam nodded.

"In another part of the forest there lived a young lady named Rainylocks," Adam said as the scene changed and Rain stood in front of a house similar to the clones' house. She was dressed in a blue dress with an apron tired around her front and black slippers and her hair was braided back, tied with a black cord. She was feeding some chickens when she sighed and placed the feed basket down on a stump."

"Oh how I wish I had someone to take care of! I am so loney!" Rain said then thought of something and smiled. "Oh, there is that house in the glade! Maybe there is someone there that I can take care of!"

"So Rainylocks walked into the deep, scary woods as she headed for the glade and softly whistled," Adam said as Rain shrugged and started whistling. The scene changed as they looked at the house and Namid placed her thumb in her mouth. The top part of the house was open, showing a bedroom with white walls and three beds. Alan woke up first when he got out of bed and was wearing a white nightshirt and nightcap. He looked around then smiled and snuck into the other room. He came out of the room a few minutes later then went down the stairs and Namid looked up at Adam, taking her thumb out of her mouth.

"What did he do?" she asked and he hushed her. John and Adam got up as they headed into the next room when Alan's head appeared from the top of the stairs and he softly giggled.

"DOODY HEAD!" they shouted when Alan's head went back down and John and Adam stormed out of the bathroom. The bottom part of the house opened to show Alan at the bottom of the stairs and he looked up at the ceiling, smiling. On the table were three bowls of stew and fire seemed to be flickering in one of the bowls.

"Yes?" he asked as Adam and John stormed down the stairs and glared at him.

"Did you put curry powder in the toothpaste?" Adam demanded and Alan rocked back and forth on his heels with his hands behind his back.

""I might have," he said then winked at Namid and she saw the bottle of curry powder in his hands.

"I demand satisfaction!" Adam shouted then walked to the cupboard and opened the doors. Taking out two water guns, he stormed over to Alan and placed one of the water guns in Alan's hands.

"Fine!" Alan said as they headed for the door when John coughed and they looked at him.

"I suggest that you get dressed first," he said and they looked at the nightshirts. Nodding, they went upstairs then left the house after getting dressed.

"While the clones went to find somewhere to have a water gun battle, Rainylocks arrived at the house and did a B & E," he said and Rain looked at him. "Hey, that's what she did."

"What is B & E?" Namid asked.

"It means breaking and entering. In other words, she went into the house without asking," he said and Namid pouted.

"That's not nice," she said and Adam nodded.

"Anyway, Rainylocks walked into the house and was stunned, seeing how messy the house was," Adam said and Rain went into the house and sighed.

"Men," Rain said, shaking her head then walked to the table and looked at the three bowls. "Hmm. I wonder what this is."

"Rainylocks picked up the spoon as she looked at the first bowl and the fire licked the edges of the bowl."

"I don't think I'll try that one. It looks too hot," Rain said, dropping the spoon then looked at the other bowl, which had icicles hanging off of it. "And that one looks too cold."

"She walked to the third bowl and sampled it," Adam said as Rain tasted the stew and smiled.

"Oh, that is good," Rain said then sat on the stool and started eating.

"I don't think I would do that. Who knows what sort of meat is in it," Adam said and Rain frowned, looking at the bowl. "Anyway, after eating, Rainylocks decided to look around the house and entered the den."

Rain got up as she walked from one half of the house to the other and saw three chairs sitting in front of the holo television.

"Hmm, I think I'll watch some telly," she said as she walked to the first chair and saw that it was made of stone. "No, that one is too hard."

"The next chair was made of foam and she sunk down to her feet," Adam said as Rain sat in the chair and Namid giggles as Rain tried to get out of the chair.

"Nope, that one's too soft," she said and headed for the next chair. Sitting down, she smiled when a loud cracking sound filled the air and the chair disintegrated, causing her to hit the floor. "Oh no, I broke it!"

"That's because you have a fat butt!" Alan said and she growled.

"Anyway, Rainylocks became sleepy and decided to go upstairs," Adam said and Rain went upstairs. "Now, she walked to Doody Head's bed but it was like sleeping on a rock."

"Argh, this one is too hard," Rain said as she got off the bed and looked at John's bed. Walking to it, she went to lay down then vanished as the mattress sunk down and Namid giggled.

"After getting off the bed, she walked to Handsome's bed and it was just right," Adam said while Rain snuggled under the duvet on Adam's bed and went to sleep. The scene changed as Alan, Adam and John returned and stood in front of the house, looking at the open door.

"Hey, which one of you left the door open?" Adam asked as they walked inside and placed the water guns on the floor. They walked to the table when they looked at the bowls of stew and Adam frowned.

"Someone ate my breakfast," Adam said, showing them the empty bowl.

"They looked around the downstairs when they went into the den and looked at the chairs," Adam said and Adam, Alan and John went into the den and looked at the chairs.

"I think someone sat in my chair," Alan said.

"Someone was sitting in my chair. Here's one of their shoes," John said and held up one of Rain's shoes.

"They wrecked my recliner!" Adam shouted while pointing to the wrecked recliner.

"Suddenly Rainylocks started snoring like a buzz saw and they looked up at the ceiling," Adam said as Rain sat up and glared at him.

"I don't snore!" she shouted then laid back down and Namid gently poked Adam in the chest.

"Sounds like someone is upstairs," Alan said as they picked up the water guns and headed up the stairs. They held the water guns in their hands when they looked at the beds and frowned. "Hey, who was sleeping in my bed?"

"Someone was in my bed, too," John said and Adam looked at Rain sleeping on his bed.

"Um, Guys, I think it was her," Adam said as he pointed to Rain and they walked to the bed, looking down at her.

"Hey, wake up!" Alan said as he shook Rain and she woke up, looking at them. "Mind telling us what you're doing here?"

"But Rainylocks was so scared that she screamed and ran out of the house," Adam said as Rain shrugged then screamed and bolted out of the bed, ran down the stairs and left the house.

"Gee, was it something we said?" Adam asked and John and Alan shrugged. The scene changed as Rain appeared and leaned against the wall of her house.

"That was close," she panted when a low wheezing sound filed the air and she watched as the TARDIS materialized near the house. The door opened as the Doctor walked outside and looked at her.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor," he said with a bow and Rain fixed her hair and dressed.

"I am Rainylocks, but my friends call me Latara," she said when a loud rumbling sound filled the air and the Doctor blushed.

"Sorry, I'm really hungry," the Doctor said and Rain smiled.

"Rainylocks took the Doctor into her house where she fed him Navajo tacos and some other treats and the Doctor was so happy that he asked her to marry him. Soon they were married and lived happily ever after," Adam said as he left Namid's mind and she smiled at him.

"That was a great story!" she said as he took her hands and smiled at her.

"Yeah, but the clones still don't have anyone to cook for them," Alan said as he walked closer and sat down on the other lounge chair.

"Oh, here you go, you doody head," Rain said after she walked to the lounge then set the dish of Navajo tacos next to him and picked Namid off of Adam's lap. "Your daddy has some for you."

Namid nodded then walked off while Alan picked up the plate and went to make sure that she found her way to the kiddie table. Rain leaned down and kissed Adam's cheek just as he was about to bite into one of the tacos and he blinked.

"What was that for?" Adam asked.

"For being a great uncle," Rain said as she ruffled his hair then walked away and Adam smiled, biting into the taco.


	135. Chapter 135

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Five

The Doctor and Hope left the zoo and headed back to the pavement. Ever since she was three, the Doctor took it upon himself to educate his daughter whenever they had private time together, making their outings both fun and educational. So whenever he could, he taught his daughter many things, naming objects and explaining as best he could to a four year old what some things were and did. He enjoyed instructing her and he could tell she enjoyed learning. It was one of the reasons he and Rain made sure to have some alone time with each of their children. They had spent a couple of hours together in the zoo, looking at the animals and learning about them. Now as they made their way home, the Doctor decided to stop off at the ice cream shop for a little treat. He felt like having some chocolate ice cream but also because he wanted to prolong his alone time with his daughter.

On the way to the shop, he continued pointing and telling his enraptured daughter what things were around them. Unlike some parents, the Doctor didn't get annoyed with his children asking why about the world around him. He wanted them to learn as they grew so that by the time they entered the academy, they'd be prepared. Hope hung on to her father's hand as they walked along. The Doctor stopped her and pointed down at the ground.

"Know what this is?" he said, pointing to a flower.

Hope stared at it for a moment and then looked up at the Doctor.

"Dandelion," she said.

"Right!" the Doctor said, pleased, as they walked on. "Dandelions are originally from Earth but we brought them here and planted them when we came to this planet."

"They're pretty," Hope said.

"Yes, they are. Some people think they're weeds but there's nothing prettier than a field of dandelions, I think," the Doctor said.

"Why do you like Earth so much, Daddy?" Hope asked him.

The Doctor thought for a moment.

"I think it's because a lot of people in the universe think they don't amount to much. That they're too backward and primitive but I see so much potential in them and I like rooting for the underdog," he said to her. "And…that's where your mum and grandparents and most of your aunts and uncles came from. So when we first started this planet, most of the brought things here that were originally a part of Earth."

Hope nodded.

"I like Earth then," she said as the Doctor squeezed her hand.

As they neared the ice cream shop, they saw Rose coming out of the shop beside it with a small white paper sack in her hand. The Doctor frowned when he saw where she was. Rose noticed them, stopped and smiled.

"Chemists? Why were you in the chemists?" the Doctor asked.

Rose sighed and rubbed Hope's back when she came up to her side.

"Alan, naturally. We went down to the southwest for awhile and while we were there, we went to this outdoor market and someone told Alan about the ghost chili which is about 5000 times hotter than a regular chili and my fool husband had to try one…and another one…and another one. He was fine until he got back here and then it finally hit him and we didn't have anything to soothe his stomach on Daisy so I went round to the chemists and got him some stomach medicine. What about you?"

"I took the little out for some alone time and we went to the zoo and we were going into the ice cream shop when we saw you," the Doctor said.

Rose glanced at the ice cream shop.

"Actually, that sounds good. I might as well get a pint of chocolate chip ice cream for Alan. Might help calm his stomach along with the medicine and…I need a couple of scoops of chocolate. I'll come with you," she said.

Hope took her hand and they went inside. The Doctor got banana flavored ice cream while Hope got two scoops of chocolate on a sugar cone. Once everyone got their ice cream, they walked back out and headed towards Alan and Rose's house while they licked their ice cream. On the way there, they ran into Donna and Lee who were visiting the city for the day and chatted with them while they ate their ice cream. Donna shook her head.

"I shouldn't have run into ya, now I want ice cream," she said while they laughed. "And give that knucklehead husband of yours a slap for being idiotic enough to eat those chilies. Cor, why the man hasn't regenerated yet is beyond me anyway, Lee and I have to get home."

"Yeah, let us know if Alan is alright," Lee said.

"Trust me, he will be. He's eaten a lot worse than this before," Rose said.

They said goodbye to Donna and Lee and walked back to Alan and Rose's house.

Meanwhile, Alan was lying on the couch rubbing his aching stomach while he kept his eyes close. His stomach was killing him and he regretted ever laying eyes on the ghost chilies.

"Never again. I will never eat those things again," he said aloud.

He felt a wetness on his cheek and opened his eyes to see Alice nuzzling and sniffing him. He stared at the Alsatian, wondering if he should shoo her away and then realized he was too sick to care. In the corner, Speck was sniffing at something and Alan tried to call her over but his dog ignored him. He looked over when the door opened and his eyes widened when Hope came inside with a little white sack in her hand.

"I must be dreaming, Rose shrunk and got darker skin and black hair," he said as Hope came up to him.

Hope put the sack on his tummy and wagged her finger at him.

"You were very naughty and you need to be sorry for what you did," she said.

"And now Rose is chastising me in her midget body. I'm having a very weird ghost chili induced dream," Alan said, staring at Hope with wide eyes.

"You need to take this and get well so we can play," Hope said to him.

"Yes, Midget Rose, I'll do what you say," Alan said with wide eyes.

"I'm not Rose," Hope said giggling.

"You're not? Are you the Tummy Fairy then?" Alan said.

"No," Hope said with a giggle.

"Are you my Hopey Hope then?" Alan said.

"I'm Hope and I came to give you some medicine for your belly and Aunt Rose has ice cream."

Hope gave him a kiss on the cheek and waved as she walked back out the door.

"Bye, Uncle Alan."

"Bye, Tummy Fairy, come back again when I eat more damaging foods!" Alan yelled at her.

Hope stopped at the door and giggled when Rose and the Doctor came back inside.

"Rose! I've been having fevered dreams. I dreamed a short Tummy Fairy gave me medicine for my stomach," Alan said to Rose.

Rose chuckled, walked over, bent over and kissed his forehead.

"Yeah, well, I'm the one who brought the medicine so the Tummy Fairy could deliver it so you can thank me as well as her," she said.

Alan glanced at the Doctor who was giving him a stern look and Alan coughed nervously.

"Heh, went a bit overboard with the ghost chilies," he said sheepishly.

"I see that. I would recommend restraint the next time you eat something that's 5000 times hotter than a normal chili," the Doctor said. "Next time, the Tummy Fairy might not be around to rescue you."

Alan patted Hope on the head.

"My Tummy Fairy will always be here for me," he said to her.

Hope gave him a kiss on the cheek and hugged him while Alan let out a contented sigh. The Doctor shook his head and gave his head a playful shove while Hope sat down next to the sofa and watched TV with Alan as he reached into his sack and took out some of his medicine.


	136. Chapter 136

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Six

"What do you mean it was my unborn son?" Sarah asked.

"Well, he was born when I met him," Duer said then told her about what happens when Mary placed the half of Jamie's soul into her unborn child and how her son accidentally opened the fob watch containing the other half of Jamie's soul.

"He killed himself," she sighed and Duer stroked her hair.

"Not that way Jamie tells it. He thinks he killed him."

"Oh that is just silly," Sarah sighed then rolled her eyes and Mary came into the room after the doors slid open. Duer and Sarah looked at her when Mary stood by the bed and Duer held Sarah's hand in his.

"Will ye let me do this?" Mary asked as Sarah looked from Mary to Duer then nodded. Duer stood back as Mary walked closer and the white orb sailed out of her hand then went inside Sarah. Gasping, Sarah closed her eyes as Duer looked at the screen and saw that her vital signs were stable. "Thank ye."

They both watched as a golden light surrounded Mary then she vanished and Duer checked the screens. The baby was no longer in danger as he checking the readings and wasn't surprised to see that they matched Jamie's genetic and mental patterns.

"What I dinnae understand is why you didnae ken that it was me after they brought me onboard," Jamie said and Duer sighed, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

"You were on the Doctor's TARDIS at the time and we had no idea that I aided in your…well, your rebirth," Duer said and Jamie nodded.

"Then what happened?" Zoe asked.

"How is she?" the Doctor asked when Duer walked inside the tent and looked at the coffin. Duer walked closer then moved his fingers along the wood and sighed.

"She's stable," Duer said and Adam walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What about the baby?" Adam asked.

"The baby's fine."

"What did Mary do with the remains?" Alan asked and Duer sighed, looking down at the coffin.

"She used them to stabilize the baby."

"She what?" the Doctor asked.

"She had to use the remains to stabilize the baby!" Duer shouted then sighed, calming down. "I told you that she had to do that so Jamie will be with us in the future. I had no choice."

The Doctor walked to him when the Doctor turned him to face him and sighed. Duer walked away then headed out of the tent and walked up the hill to where the grave was. He stood at the grave when he felt like someone was behind him and turned, seeing the Doctor behind him.

"You could have waited for me to say what I was going to say," the Doctor said with a small smile.

"You are going to call me irresponsible and that you would never had done that. What you don't get it that I'm not you. Well, I am, but our universes have different things going on and I have to do what I have to do. True, it may disgust you, but it's how things work here. If you don't want to be friends and brothers any more then…."

"Blimey, and I thought I talk too much," the Doctor said and Duer gave him a puzzled look. "Ok, you are right, our universes are different, but you are not irresponsible. If that was the case then I would never have asked you and your family to come and live with me and mine. That would be irresponsible of me. You're also right about this happening to insure Jamie's recovery. I couldn't have rejoined his mind if part of it was still in the fob watch," the Doctor said.

"And we don't know if his mind could have stood us rejoining it after finding the fob watch."

"Yep, Dex went insane when he opened the fob watch that contained his mind," the Doctor said and Duer nodded. "As for us not being friends and brothers any more, that will never happen. We're stuck with each other for all of eternity. So, knock off the gloom and doom stuff. Now I know where Adam gets it from."

"Well, he is my clone," Duer said and the Doctor softly laughed.

"What do you want to do about this?" the Doctor said as he pointed with his head toward the grave.

"I guess we'll have to put the coffin back," he said and sighed. "It's funny. Jamie wanted to see his grave and there isn't anything there."

"You didn't know that at the time," the Doctor said as Duer shook his head then the Doctor turned, walking down the hill. Duer stood near the grave when the air turned ice cold and he looked up, seeing a white form standing on the other side of the grave. He watched while the white form shifted and Rosealie looked at him.

"You're his wife, aren't you?" he asked and Rosealie nodded. "I am so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen."

"_Will ye tell me what happened tae him?" _Rosealie asked and he was surprised that she could talk. _"Dinnae be surprised that I can speak. The energy that enables me tae speak is very strong."_

"Did he ever tell you about it?"

"_I was his nurse before I was his wife. He had an accident an' most of his mind was taken from him."_

"Yes, but you may not understand how his mind was taken."

"_What is yer name?"_

"I am called the Doctor," Duer said as she looked at the grave and frowned.

"_There were nights that he would talk in his sleep. He would call out "Doctor", but didnae ken who the Doctor was when I asked him aboot him," _she said then looked at Duer. _"Tell me."_

Duer thought for a few seconds then sighed and told her what happened. He then told her about what Mary did, about the other Jamie, how the other Jamie opened the fob watch and releasing the rest of Jamie's mind then how he and Jamie were reunited and Rosealie blinked her eyes a few times.

"_Is my husband safe?"_

"Yes, but you will see for yourself. I'll bring him here to see his grave. He told me that he talked to you," Duer said and she sadly smiled. He watched while Rosealie faded then placed his hands in his pockets and walked down the hill.

"She never mentioned that she talked with you," Jamie said.

"I guess she didn't want you to know everything," Duer said and Jamie nodded. "I told the Doctor that I was going to keep Sarah in the TARDIS for the next few months and she gave birth to the other Jamie. He was perfectly healthy and I took her and the baby to the hospital."

"But he wasnae perfect. He had an extra soul an' thought he was insane."

"Yep," Duer said, popping the "p".

"But how did the other Jamie find the watch?" Zoe asked as she looked at Jamie and Jamie pouted. He knew he didn't have any of the other Jamie's memories when something like a cool shiver moved down his spine and he blinked. "Are you alright, Pa-paw?"

"I'm nae sure," Jamie said when he closed his eyes and the room became dark. The room changed as they looked around and saw that they were in a loft. Boxes, trunks and storage bins spread out in all directions and Zoe smiled, seeing an old rocking horse covered in dust and spider webs.

"Jamie, where are you?" a man's voice asked when a teenage boy appeared and was wearing jeans, a black t-shirt and black converse sneakers. His hair was light brown while the light shimmered in his hazel eyes and Duer noticed that he looked exactly like Jamie.

"Och, I havenae looked like that in years," Jamie teased and Duer softly laughed.

"You're still very handsome, Pa-paw," Zoe said and Jamie kissed the top of her head.

The other Jamie walked by the boxes and trunks as he growled and kicked one of the boxes.

"This bloody sucks," the other Jamie said when his head started aching and he sank to the floor, holding his head in his hands. "No! Shut the hell up! Leave me alone!"

"Is that any way tae talk tae yer elders?" a voice asked and they realized that it was coming from the other Jamie.

"Just shut up!" the other Jamie growled then looked at the box that he had kicked and saw that it had fallen to its side. Crawling closer, the other Jamie opened the box when he found a wooden box and slid the wooden box out. He looked at the carvings on the lid of the wooden box while moving his fingers over the carvings and blinked. Tilting the box side to side, he heard something sliding inside the wooden box and sighed. "It's probably full of junk."

The other Jamie was about to place the wooden box down when he felt like he had to open the wooden box and lifted the lid. He reached inside when he took out the fob watch and looked at the odd carvings on it. Moving his fingers over the carvings, he thought he heard voices and the other Jamie lifted the fob watch up to his ear.

"What is he listening tae" Zoe asked.

"I think it's my memories," Jamie said and wrapped his arms around her.

"_Can you not exactly make it go where you meant it to?"_

"_If I wanted to. It's just that I've never wanted to."_

"_Why do you call it the __Highland Fling__?"_

"_Because we finish the dance by flinging ourselves out the door."_

"_Ooh, it's a flying beastie!"_

"_Me? Foreign? You're the one that's foreign. I'm Scottish."_

"_Aye, well, I've not had much exercise today."_

"_Have you thought up some clever plan, Doctor?"_

"_Yes, Jamie, I believe I have."_

"_What are you going to do?"_

"_Bung a rock at it."_

"_Victoria?"_

"_What?"_

"_Did you see how those lassies were dressed?"_

"_Yes, I did. And trust you to think of something like that."_

"_Well, I couldn't help thinking about it."_

"_Well, I think it's disgusting, wearing that kind of…thing."_

"_Oh, aye, so it is, so it is. You, eh, you don't see yourself dressed like that then?"_

"_Jamie!"_

"_Oh, I'm sorry. It's was, eh, just an idea."_

"_We will now change the subject, please."_

"_Spacecraft__! Hey, do you reckon that's where the warrior's gone back to._

"_Well, he didn't come by Shetland Pony, Jamie._

"_Oh, no, you're not thinking of what I think you're thinking of, are you?"_

"_That, I think, Jamie, depends on what you think I am thinking!"_

"_Come one, back to the TARDIS."_

"_Is that the right way?"_

"_Of course it's the right way. No, it could be…erm…"_

"_We're lost, aren't we?"_

"_No, I wouldn't say that. We're just er…well…um…You want to know something?"_

"_What?"_

"_I think we're lost."_

"_I won't forget you, you know."_

The other Jamie frowned as he looked at the fob watch then sighed and placed his thumb on the button. Pushing the button, he watched as the fob watch slowly opened when the golden light rushed toward his eyes and the other Jamie screamed. Flashes of memory blurred by then the room became dark and Jamie held onto Zoe. The lights came on as they looked at Duer and Duer was staring straight ahead.

"Pa-paw?" Zoe asked as she got off of Jamie's lap and walked to Duer. He blinked his eyes a few times when he stood up and Jamie followed him. Duer held Jamie as Jamie rubbed his back and sent love into his mind.

"I am so sorry," Duer whispered in Jamie's ear and Jamie nodded. Zoe walked to them when she placed her arms around Duer's waist and pressed her cheek against his back. Reaching back, Duer patted her head then carefully moved back, turned and took her hands.

"Are you ok, Pa-paw?" she asked.

"Yep," Duer said then looked at Jamie. "Are you?"

"Aye, I'm fine," Jamie said with a grin and Duer placed his arm around Jamie's shoulders.

"Know what I'd like to do right now?"

"No, what would you like tae do?"

"I feel like making a chocolate ice cream sundae with tons of bananas!" he said and Zoe pouted.

"But it's almost dinnertime," she said and Duer grinned, opening his eyes wide.

"I won't tell if you don't," he said as they laughed and left the room.


	137. Chapter 137

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Seven

Duer sat in the nursery while trying to put together Faith's tricycle for Christmas when the TARDIS alerted him that Faith was coming and he stood up, heading for the door. He closed the door behind him when his obviously upset, three year old daughter came running at him and he knelt down, holding his arms out. She nearly slammed into him as he picked her up and held her in his arms.

"Hush now, what's making my little lovey cry?" he asked as he rubbed her back and she gently sobbed in his ear.

"Cam…he…he said…he….he…" she sobbed and Duer sighed, closing his eyes. He called out for his son to come to the nursery and he kissed Faith's hair. Cameron came down the hallway when he saw the anger in his father's eyes and stopped short.

"Come here," Duer said as Cameron slowly walked closer and Duer glared at him. "What did you say to your sister?"

"I was just telling her the truth," Cameron said and Duer pouted.

"He says there's no…no….no Father Christmas!" Faith softly sobbed and Duer hushed her.

"You did?" Duer asked, arching up an eyebrow.

"Please, there is no scientific proof that he does exist or that what he can do in one night is logical," Cameron said and Duer sighed, wishing his son wasn't so brilliant. "Take for instance the fact that he lives somewhere in the North Pole. The climate is too cold and harsh for a person to live out in the open for a long period of time."

"Cameron…"

"What about the idea of elves making toys? Elves don't exist."

"I wouldn't say that in front of Frazer, if I were you."

"All right then, what about the reindeer? It is aerodynamically impossible for them to fly. Then there is the delivering the presents in one night. Unless, like you or the Doctor or Uncle Amato, he can travel through time and space, there is no logical way he can do it. Then there is the…"

"Right, that will be quite enough!" Duer said then sighed, shaking his head. "You used to believe in him when you were her age."

"I grew up," Cameron sighed and Faith glared at him.

"Grinch!" she shouted then stuck her tongue out at him and Duer half smiled.

"Now now, there is no need for that," he said then looked at Cameron and Cameron looked down at the floor. "Come with me."

Cameron followed him down the hallway until they came to the control room and Duer placed Faith on the jump seat. They watched Duer moving around the console as he pushed buttons, moved switches, flicked levers then moved the main lever and the TARDIS hummed around them.

"Where are we going, Daddy?" Faith asked and he looked over his shoulder at her and winked. A few minutes later they landed with a light thump and Duer walked to the coat rack, taking the fur coat off the peg. He placed the fur coat on as Faith giggled and he looked at her. "You look like a bear, Daddy!"

"Ha ha, now come over here and get dressed," he said as she got off the jump seat and walked to him. He helped her put on a pink snowsuit, a woolen hat with a white fluffy ball on the top, a pink scarf, a pair of boots, pink mittens and a small pair of goggles then looked at Cameron, who was standing near the console. "Come on. Get dressed."

"I don't…." Cameron said when Duer glared at him and he sighed, walking to the coat rack. After Cameron got dressed, Duer took Faith's hand then opened the door and Faith's eyes went wide.

"Ooo…" she said while looking at the snow spreading out before them and the wind blew the snow around in large circles. "Where are we?"

"Would you believe that this is the North Pole?" he asked and she smiled.

"All planets have a north pole," Cameron sighed and Duer shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Well, Hum Bugger, this is the north pole on Earth. This way," Duer said as they walked away from the TARDIS and Duer held Faith's hand tightly in his.

"Where are we going?" Cameron shouted over the wind but Duer didn't say a word and they walked toward a large snowdrift. After walking for a few miles, they stopped near the top of a large canyon and Duer looked down.

"Daddy, look at that!" Faith said, pointing to what was at the bottom of the canyon. Cameron walked closer, looking down at what Faith was pointing to, and his eyes went wide. Before them was a large village with bright lights shining in the windows of the buildings and the lamp posts shimmered from the candlelight. At the center of the village was a large castle made of white and blue bricks and several small flags flapped in the wind.

"Impossible," Cameron whispered when Duer noticed a pathway down to the village and tapped him.

"This way," Duer said while they walked to the pathway and the snow fell around them. After a few minutes, they arrived at the village while Faith looked at the buildings and Duer had to gently pull her away from some of the store windows. Walking toward the castle, they stopped at the stairs and Duer noticed two elf guards at the door. Walking up the stairs, he turned and saw that Faith and Cameron were still looking at the castle. "Come on, we can't keep him waiting."

Nodding, Cameron took Faith's hand as they walked up the stairs when they walked to the elf guards and the guards crossed the poles they were holding.

"Halt!" one of the guards said.

"Ah, yes, hello," Duer said.

"Who are you?" the other guard asked.

"I am the Doctor and these are my children, Cameron and Faith. We were wondering if he was home."

"Yes, he is, but he is very busy," the guard said.

"I'm never too busy to see an old friend," a voice said as they looked at the figure standing in the doorway and Cameron and Faith's eyes went wide. The man standing in the doorway was dressed in black leather boots, blue velvet pants, the blue velvet, fur trimmed coat was connected by a black leather belt, and the fur trimmed hood of the blue velvet cape framed his face. He had snow white hair and beard and his dark eyes twinkled.

"Hello Christopher," Duer said, walking closer.

"It is good to see you again, Doctor, though this is a new face, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. These are my children, Cameron and Faith. May we come in?"

"Of course!" Father Christmas said, standing back so they could come inside, and closed the door. The main room spread out before them while they looked at the Christmas decorations and trees and Duer removed the fur coat, draping it over one arm.

"Tell me, how did you know we were coming?"

"We saw your TARDIS on the radar."

"Ah, well, how are things progressing?"

"We are ahead of schedule this year."

"That's good to hear," Duer said when Faith slowly walked closer and pulled on the sleeve of the blue coat.

"Yes?" Father Christmas asked as he looked down and she tilted her head to one side.

"Are you really Father Christmas?" she asked and he knelt down on his knees.

"Yes, I am," he said and Faith turned to Cameron, giving him a stern look.

"See, Doody Head, I told you he was real!" she half shouted and Duer cupped his mouth, trying not to laugh.

"Now, Faith, that wasn't nice, was it?" Father Christmas said and her mouth fell open as her eyes went wide. She didn't want to get on the Naughty List as she shook her head and Father Christmas smiled, standing up and looked at Cameron. "And when did you stop believing in me?"

"I'm not really sure," Cameron sighed and Father Christmas walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think it was when I started studying science at the academy. What they said about applied science and theory made what you do seem impossible."

"Some would say the same thing about time travel," Father Christmas said, giving Duer a wink.

"Daddy, look at the elves!" Faith said as she pointed to the elves walking by and the elves smiled at her. They were dressed all in green with pointy shoes and hats and one of the elves had a long beard.

"Hello, Little One," the elf with the beard said and she waved to him.

"See, elves are real," she said as Cameron looked at the elves and blinked.

"Amazing," he said and Father Christmas smiled.

"I think we better go to my den," he said as he led Duer and the children down the hallway and they went inside the room to the right. A large stone fireplace faced them while the fire crackled behind the large glass screen and they walked to the large overstuffed chairs. Cameron jumped when a small female elf tugged on his snowsuit and he smiled down at her. Duer helped Faith with the pink snowsuit, a woolen hat with a white fluffy ball on the top, a pink scarf, a pair of boots, pink mittens and a small pair of goggles while Cameron took off his snowsuit, boots, woolen hat and goggles and several elves took the clothing and boots out of the room. A few minutes later a small girl elf brought them a pair of fluffy bunny slippers with long ears and they slid their feet into the slippers.

"Don't I get a pair?" Duer asked with a pout. Father Christmas laughed when a girl elf brought over a pair for Duer and he removed his boots. He slid the slippers on his feet as he sighed and they walked to the overstuffed chairs, sitting down.

"Now, let's start with the questions," Father Christmas said as he looked at Cameron and a small elf girl handed Faith a small mug with hot chocolate and tiny marshmallows. Duer whispered in Faith's ear as she thanked the small girl elf and smiled.

"Well, why do you live up here in such frigid conditions?" Cameron asked, sipping on the hot chocolate the small elf girl gave him.

"It has to do with security. It is true that this is a harsh place to live, but it keeps people from coming here and stealing my toy ideas."

"But how do you and the others keep warm and get food?"

"Well, the village is covered with a magical protection dome and the rest…" Father Christmas said then nodded his head toward Duer.

"It's all a part of the job," Duer said and Faith smiled up at him.

"What about the elves?" Cameron asked. "Are they slaves?"

"Of course not!" Father Christmas said then sighed. "You see, Cameron, I was found abandoned as a baby and they took me in and raised me as their own."

"And they make the toys because…?"

"It's what they love to do."

"But where do you get the equipment and supplies?"

"Again…" Father Christmas said and nodded toward Duer, who sipped on the hot chocolate then smiled at Cameron.

"What about delivering everything in one night?"

"Your father lets me borrow the TARDIS. How do you think I get into houses with no chimneys?" Father Christmas asked and Faith smiled.

"You make yourself really tiny and crawl in under the door!" she said and Duer softly laughed.

"Well, I used to do that but I kept getting attacked by cats," Father Christmas said then gave her a wink.

"What about the reindeer? Do they really fly?" Cameron asked and Father Christmas stood up, holding his hand out.

"Come with me and find out!"

Walking into the large stable, Father Christmas led them to the stalls and they looked at the reindeer. They had changed back into the snowsuits, gloves, hats, scarves, goggles and boots and the coat and Faith walked to the stall, looking at the reindeer.

"Which one is this?" she asked.

"That is Dasher," Father Christmas said and Dasher gently leaned its head down, looking at her. "You can pet him if you like."

Faith, taking one of the gloves off, patted the soft fur while Father Christmas walked to one of the open feed bags and scooped a few grains of feed into his hand. Walking to Cameron, he took his hand and placed the feed in his hand.

"What is this?" Cameron asked, looking at the feed.

"This is what makes them fly."

"It looks like normal deer feed to me."

"Ah, that is the whole idea."

"How does it work?"

"Magic!" Father Christmas said, wide eyed.

"Um, may I ask you something?" Faith asked.

"Yes?"

"Where's…." she asked when a red light flickering from the nose of the reindeer to her left and she walked closer. RUDOLPH was on the plaque on the door and Faith smiled, patting the soft fur.

"This way," Father Christmas said while they left the stable and the snow fell around them.

After a tour of the castle, workshops, hydroponic gardens, the shed where the sled was stored and meeting Father Christmas' wife, they walked inside a large room and Cameron gasped at the sight of the computer terminals.

"Amazing!" he whispered.

"What are they for?" Faith asked.

"They collect all the emails from children telling me what they want for Christmas."

"Does anyone still write to you?" Duer asked.

"Of course they do. The mailroom is through that door there," Father Christmas said, pointing to the door at the back of the room.

"Well, we've taken up enough of your time, Chris," Duer said as he looked down at Faith and she smiled up at him. "Guess it's time to go."

"Why?" Faith asked and he knelt down, tapping the tip of her nose with his finger.

"He needs to get going or there won't be any presents," he said and Faith nodded. After saying goodbye, Duer led them back to the TARDIS and he looked at Cameron. "Still not convinced?"

Cameron kept walking as Duer sighed and looked down at Faith. She shrugged as Duer picked her up and the snow blew around them.

The house was quiet while the moonlight from the window sparkled on the ornaments of the Christmas tree and a pair of boots walked toward the tree. A red velvet sack hit the floor when Father Christmas stood still then turned his head toward the couch. Cameron sat on the couch when he turned the light on and both of them blinked a few times.

"What are you doing up?" Father Christmas asked as Cameron got off the couch and walked to him.

"I forgot to do something," he said then hugged Father Christmas and Father Christmas smiled. "I am so sorry."

"Now now, I knew you still believed in me," Father Christmas said as he patted Cameron's back and Cameron looked at him.

"How did you know?"

"I got your letter," Father Christmas said and Cameron slightly giggled. "Merry Christmas, Cameron."

"Merry Christmas."


	138. Chapter 138

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Eight

The Doctor yawned and rubbed his eyes while he came down the stairs. He had taken a quick nap to rejuvenate himself before their next adventure and he was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. As he came down the stairs, he saw his four year old daughter, Hope, sitting on the floor playing with her dolls. He walked over to her, bent over and peered over her shoulder while she made her Strawberry Shortcake doll walk. A few seconds after the Doctor began to stare at her, Hope stopped playing and slowly turned her head to look at him.

"Moo," the Doctor said, staring into her eyes.

Hope gave him a big grin and put Strawberry Shortcake into his hands.

"You be Strawberry Shortcake. I'll be Rainbow Bright," she said, picking up her Rainbow Bright doll.

The Doctor stared at the Strawberry Shortcake doll in silence while Hope watched him. Just then, the front door opened and Rain came inside after spending some time in their flower garden. She was wearing dirty coveralls, a slightly smudged pink t-shirt and white plimsolls. The Doctor hurried over to her with the Strawberry Shortcake doll and held it up to her while Hope followed him.

"Hi there," he said as he held the doll in her face, "my name is Strawberry Shortcake. I'm named after a dessert. Apparently my parents were hippies or they were very hungry when I was born. Woe is me that I had such daft parents."

Rain sniffed deeply and inhaled the dolls scent.

"But Strawberry, you smell like Strawberries, maybe that's how you got your name," she said sweetly.

The Doctor did a double take. Holding the doll to his nose, he inhaled deeply and his eyes widened in surprise. Hope giggled when he walked over to the sofa, taking several deep breaths while he continued to breath in the dolls scent. Hope walked over to the side of the sofa and watched while the Doctor slumped down on the sofa and snorted the scent of the doll.

"Daddy, what are you doing?" Hope asked.

"I'm getting high on doll scent. I've become a Strawberry Shortcake addict," the Doctor said to her before taking several more snorting sniffs.

"Ought oh, sounds like Daddy needs to go to doll sniffing rehab," Rain said as she climbed the stairs.

"Nah, I love sniffing dolls," the Doctor said.

Hope laughed as the Doctor stomped up the stairs while he chanted, "I love sniffing dolls, I love sniffing dolls!" She followed him upstairs and when the Doctor reached the top, he turned around and held out his arms to her. Hope stood a few steps below him, giggling and then ran down the steps.

"Hey! Come back here, you!" the Doctor said as he hurried down the stairs after her.

Hope ran into the kitchen and hid behind her mother as the Doctor ran inside. She peeked out from behind her legs and giggled when he pretended to search for her. The Doctor paused when there was a knock on the door and threw up his hands in mock frustration.

"It always happens when I'm looking for that cheeky monkey daughter of mine, interruptions, interruptions," he said as he headed to the front door.

Hope came out from behind her mother and both she and Rain followed the Doctor into the living room. The Doctor got to the door and opened it.

"Good day, Brother," Alan said while he and Rose stood on his porch. "I have something that might interest…"

He shut up when the Doctor slammed the door in his face. Rose laughed at Alan's peeved look when he heard the Doctor, Rain and Hope laughing inside. He began to pound on the door.

"LET ME IN OR I GET THE BATTERING RAM!" Alan screamed as he ponded.

He stepped back when the door opened slightly and Hope peeked out at him.

"Aha, the child. Let me in this in…"

Rose laughed when Hope slammed the door again. The Doctor opened the door and smiled.

"You're teaching that child bad habits," Alan said as Hope came up beside her father. "You must correct the child and teach her discipline. For example, I used to beat Christopher every hour on the hour whether he was misbehaving or not to instill fear and awe of me into him and now he does everything I command him to. I suggest you do the same with this miscreant here," he added, pointing at Hope. "She'll grow up to engage in criminal behavior if you spare the rod and spoil the child, you know."

"I'll keep that in mind," the Doctor said. "What do you want?"

"Love, family and home security, but I have all that so I'm here to give you a brochure on something that might interest the little one standing beside you."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin colorful brochure. He handed it to the Doctor and the Doctor read it while he walked into the house. Rose and Alan followed him inside and Alan picked up Hope and kissed her while Rain closed the door and followed them. Rain walked over to her husband who was studying the brochure.

"What is it?" she asked.

"This planet offers a princess for a day experience for little girls. They pamper little girls and make them feel like princesses. It's a very reasonable price and they basically do everything to make her feel like royalty."

"Friend of ours did that for her daughter and they loved it," Rose said, walking up to them. "They got to travel in a palanquin, walk on flower petals and you get a royal feast. His daughter couldn't get enough of it."

"However, when the child got back home, our friend did have to beat her to re-instill the fear and awe," Alan said, walking up to them. "But once our friend told us about it and showed us this brochure, we thought you might like to take Hope there."

"What about it, love?" Rain said to Hope. "Wanna be a princess for a day?"

They laughed when her eyes grew as large as moons and she nodded.

"Well, you lot wanna go with us then since you're here?" the Doctor asked Alan and Rose.

"Seven course royal feast, you have to ask the eating machine?" Rose said, hooking her thumb back at her husband.

"Yes, I will be there with bells on," Alan said. "I will watch with pleasure as our Hope is pampered and primped and then I'll gobble down her royal meal before she can get one morsel out of it."

Hope walked over to him and he picked her up and held her close.

"Well, we better get ready to go then," Rain said as Alan smothered his niece with kisses.

A half hour later, the TARDIS took them to the planet Kanga, a pleasure planet with many different kinds of resorts. The one that had the princess for a day was more for children and not only were the hotels painted with primary colors but there were playgrounds, amusement parks and restaurants and shops geared towards kids. They walked to a small shop that was called Princess Adventures Ltd. The shop was shaped like a small purple castle and Hope stared at it in enchantment for a moment before they went inside. Inside was a reception area with a plump elderly alien lady. She had powder blue skin with white spots and long white hair that was done up in bun. Her face was pudgy with a pushed in pug like nose and round eyes with black irises. She was wearing a long white dress with a little name badge that had Princess Adventures Ltd at the top of it and Mytyn below it.

"Hello, may I help you?" she said in a raspy, froggy voice.

"Yes, Mytyn, we have a little girl who would love to be a princess for a day," the Doctor said as he put his hand on Hope's back and urged her forward.

The woman who was sitting behind a large metal desk leaned forward and peered at her. Mytyn had a stern look on her face and the Doctor thought for a moment that she might say something snotty to Hope. But then a smile spread over her face and she patted her head with a pudgy hand before sitting back in her seat. The Doctor gave her information while she filled out forms and paid with a credit stick. Then they were escorted to the back of the building where there was a dressing room. Hope walked around the room while the Doctor and his family were told to wait. The room had a vanity with a lighted mirror, a white canvas folding screen and several pictures of princesses, castles and unicorns as well as several tan leather sofas and chairs spread around the room. The adults sat down while Hope walked over to the picture of the unicorn and stared at it.

"Hey, do I get a unicorn?" she asked, walking back to them.

"No, you get a beating, that's good enough for the likes of you," Alan said.

They laughed when he got up from the chair he was in and Hope ran after him trying to smack his butt. They stopped when the door opened and two human men came in wearing purple military outfits that were trimmed in gold with gold bars and epaulets. They were both thin and both had crew cuts. One was older than the other one, he had a craggy, angular face with bright blue eyes. The other one had a fuller, baby face with slight acne on it. Both men bowed.

"We are the servants of her royal highness," the older man said. "I am Josiah and this is Thomas. We are at her royal highness's service. Now where is her royal sovereign?"

Everyone pointed at Hope and both men walked over and kneeled before her.

"Your royal highness," Josiah said while the adults chuckled. "We have selected your clothes for your royal outing."

"Okay," Hope said, a bit unsure as the men continued to kneel.

The men got up and left. Thomas came back in carrying a large white box. He handed it to Rain and bowed. Rose lifted up the lid and ooed when she saw a purple princess dress and tiara inside.

"Come on, baby, let's get you dressed for the day," Rain said, leading Hope back behind the folding screen while everyone waited.


	139. Chapter 139

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Nine

Jamie walked down the hallway when he peeked into the room and saw three year old Moira sitting under the duvet, holding her purple fur teddy bear against her chest. Jamie and Jenna were staying at Hamish's house while Hamish and Lucy were on holiday and Jamie had placed the girls to bed a few hours ago. The unicorn lamp on the white night table was on as he looked at her and tilted his head to one side.

"Why are you awake, ban-ogha?" he asked as he leaned on the doorframe and Moira smiled at him calling her "granddaughter" in Gaelic. Jamie was also glad that he could speak Gaelic around her and her family. He never admitted to Duer that he missed being able to speak his native tongue, though it is rare for anyone to speak it anymore.

"I cannae sleep, seanair," she said then sighed and he softly nodded his head, walking into the room. Normally, they would call him or Duer "pa-paw" but hearing her call him "grandfather" in Gaelic made his hearts soar.

Moira's room had soft pink walls with white trim, a white carpet and ceiling and most of the furniture was pink with white trim. A white ceiling fan was on the ceiling and pink flower stickers were on the blades of the fan. Disney character stickers were on the walls and framed holo photographs of her family sat on the night table next to the unicorn lamp. A small doll house sat near the dresser and several china dolls sat on top of the dresser. Those were her "look but don't touch" dolls and she had named all of them after flowers. Her other dolls sat on the window seat under the window and her teddy bears and other plush animals sat on shelves. The purple fur teddy bear was a present from Alan when Hamish and his family came from their universe and it was her favorite toy,

"An' why cannae you sleep?" he asked as he sat on the edge of the white, four poster bed and had to duck his head under the pink canopy over the bed. The sheets, pillow cases and duvet had Dora the Explorer on them as Moira placed her chin on top of the head of her teddy bear and sighed, wiggling her finger for him to come closer.

"I'm scared of the uamhas," she whispered and Jamie's eyes went wide.

"An' where is this uamhas?" he asked, pretending to be scared.

"It's under the bed," she said and Jamie softly smiled, going down on his knees. He carefully lifted the edge of the pink dust ruffle that went all the way around the bed when he saw several pairs of converse sneakers, some toys, a few candy wrappers and dust bunnies then lowered the dust ruffle.

"When was the last time Mommy cleaned under there?" he asked, placing his arms on the bed then placed his chin on the back of his hands.

"Why?"

"Well, I havenae seen dust bunnies that big since your Aunt Zoe was a lassie," Jamie said and Moira's eyes went wide.

"Let me see!" she said as she moved the duvet back and climbed onto the floor, sitting next to him. Jamie lifted up the dust ruffle when they looked under the bed and Moira smiled.

"So that's where my sneakers are! Mommy got really mad when I couldnae find them!" she said and Jamie softly laughed, shaking his head.

"What is going on in here?" Jenna asked while standing at the doorway and they turned around, looking at her.

"We're looking at the dust bunnies under the bed, seanmhair," Moira said and Jenna looked at Jamie with a confused look on her face.

"_She called you "grandmother" in Gaelic," _he thought to her and Jenna smiled, walking toward the bed.

"And how did those dust bunnies get under there?" Jenna asked as she knelt down on the floor next to Jamie and he lifted the dust ruffle so she could see them. "Blimey, they are big, aren't they?"

"Aye, they are," Jamie said as he nodded his head and Moira pouted, sticking her lower lip out like Jamie did when he was upset.

"Is the uamhas going tae eat them, seanair?" she asked and Jenna looked at him.

"No, ban-ogha, I dinnae think the monster's going to eat the dust bunnies," he said and Jenna moved closer and scooped Moira into her lap, wrapping her arms around her.

"Tell you what, how about I take you into our room and Pa-paw and I will make sure the dust bunnies are safely removed from under your bed," Jenna said and Moira nodded. Getting up, she picked Moira up then left the room and Jamie sat against the bed, folding his legs up.

"_Father, what's wrong?" _Hamish thought as Jamie felt his mind coming closer and Jamie softly smiled, setting up a privacy block.

"_Moira cannae sleep because of the __monster under the bed__," _Jamie thought and heard Hamish softly laugh.

"_Aye, she tries that with us, too. We keep telling her there is nothing under there."_

"_Och, there is something under there. I have never seen such dust bunnies since your sister was little."_

"_I keep telling Lucy that she needs tae clean under there."_

"_Dinnae fash, I think your mother an' I are going tae take care of it."_

"_Och, you dinnae have tae do that."_

"_If it means getting my ban-ogha tae sleep then I'll do it," _Jamie said when Jenna walked back into the room and leaned on the doorframe. _"I have tae go now. Your mother's here."_

"_Aye, just be careful. That bed's heavy," _Hamish thought when Jamie let the privacy block down and felt Hamish's mind leaving. Jenna walked closer as Jamie got up and they looked at the bed.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Jenna asked as he thought for a few seconds and blinked.

"Do you ken where the vacuum is?" Jamie asked and Jenna shook her head. Walking out of the room, Jamie checked the upstairs cupboard when he found the vacuum cleaner and quietly removed it from the cupboard. Walking back into the room, he dragged the vacumm behind him and Jenna smiled at him. "Found it."

"Now what do we do?" Jenna asked as he looked at the bed and tapped the tip of his finger against his lips. He walked to the bed when he removed the pillows and placed them on the white rocking chair that sat near the bed. He was about to remove the duvet when something growled from under the bed and they looked at each other. "You did hear that, right?"

"Aye," Jamie said with a nod of his head then reached over to touch the bed and the growling grew louder.

"Ok, I'm getting the girls and getting out of here," Jenna said as she turned but he gently grabbed her arm and turned her toward him.

"No, McCrimmons dinnae run," he said and she patted his cheek.

"I am only a McCrimmon by marriage. If you want to see what that is then go ahead. I'm out of here!" she said then left the room and Jamie glared at the doorway. Shrugging his shoulder, Jamie walked to the bed and knelt down on the floor. The growling grew louder as he slowly picked up the corner of the dust ruffle and peeked under it. He opened the drawer of the night table when he found the torch with Elmo on it that Moira used to light up the dark at night and he pushed the button, shining the light under the bed.

"What?" Jamie asked as he saw the glowing red eyes in the far corner of the bed near the wall and shined the light over toward the glowing red eyes. Snarling and growling at him were what he thought was the dust bunnies but he saw they were small creatures made up of gray and white fluff and he lowered the dust ruffle. "I think I am going to need some help."

Jenna opened the door then bent over and started laughing. Jamie had called the Doctor and Duer to help them with whatever it was that was under Moira's bed, but seeing Alan and Adam dressed in tan jumpsuits, black work boots and black leather gloves with goggles on the top of their heads and some sort of backpacks on their backs cracked her up.

"Out of the way, Woman, The Dust Bunny Busters are here!" Alan said as he stormed into the living room and Adam followed close behind him. Duer placed his hand on Jenna's shoulder as she tried to calm and he shrugged. "Right, where are they?"

Adam was walking around the room with a black box in his hand as the black box made a soft beeping sound when he looked up at the ceiling and his eyes went wide.

"The targets are upstairs, Sir!" Adam said as he clicked his heels together and saluted.

"Ah, well, let's go!" Alan said when the Doctor and Duer ran to the stairs and stood in front of them. "Oi, get out of the way, we have dust bunnies to bust!"

"I am not going to let you storm up there, dressed like that, and scare the hell out of my granddaughters," Duer said, giving them a stern look.

"But…" Adam said then pouted, grinding his toes into the carpet.

"No, the Doctor and I can handle this," Duer said as he held up a finger and Adam sighed, rolling his eyes. Jamie was at the top of the stairs with Zoe and Moira as Duer and the Doctor walked up the stairs and Duer gently ruffled Moira's hair.

"Are you an' Uncle Doctor going tae save the dust bunnies from the uamhas, sinn-seanair?" Moira asked and Duer didn't mind that she had called him "great grandfather" in Gaelic.

"Yep," he said, popping the "p" and she half smiled up at him. Alan and Adam had followed them up the stairs as the girls looked at them and giggled.

"What's so funny?" Alan asked and Zoe pointed at him, making him look down at his clothes. "I will have you know that this is regulation dust bunny busting clothes!"

"You're going to kill the dust bunnies?" Moira asked and tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

"No, ban-ogha, they're nae going tae do that," Jamie said as he glared at Adam and Alan and their faces went blank.

"Right, we're not going to do that," Adam said as he patted Moira's head and Alan nodded.

"Which room is it?" the Doctor asked as Jamie led the way and Jenna stood in the hallway, holding the girls against her sides.


	140. Chapter 140

Chapter One Hundred and Forty

While Rain got her daughter dressed, Josiah reappeared with a bigger box. When Rose looked inside it, she saw two adult princess outfits.

"For you and your female companion, m'lady," Josiah said to Rose as he bowed.

Alan and the Doctor shared a glance.

"Do we get royal finery then?" Alan asked him.

Josiah left without answering him and shut the door.

"Coo-ee," Alan called while Rose laughed, "Yo! Royal slave person, where's mine? Hey, Rainy, ask Her Royal Highness to tell her slave to give me clothes! Damn it, I want royal robes, you cloth-eared git!"

Rose took the big box back behind the folding screen. A few minutes later, Hope came out dressed in the purple dress, tiara and gray satin shoes. She held a small scepter in her hand that had a glass orb on top of the gold rod. The Doctor rose from the sofa, walked over to her and knelt in front of her.

"My sovereign," he said reverently.

Hope giggled and tapped him on the head with the orb of her scepter.

"See that, she needs a beating," Alan said, leaning back against the sofa cushions as he put his hands behind his head. "Course I don't support the monarchy, I'm all for a republic so you won't find me groveling on the ground trying to kiss Princess Hope's bum. Nope, equality, fraternity, no Rainy, that's me."

"Ha ha," Rain said sarcastically from behind the screen, "that's really amusing."

She came out and the Doctor let out a low whistle when he looked at her. She was dressed in an identical outfit to her daughter, minus the tiara and scepter. The Doctor walked over to her, put his arms around her waist and looked at her with love.

"My queen," he said to her.

Rose stepped out from behind the screen. She was dressed in an identical outfit and the Doctor let out another low whistle. He glanced over at Alan who had closed his eyes and was pretending to be asleep. The Doctor grinned while he embraced his wife.

"My love," he whispered to Rain. "You look gorgeous."

Alan, in response, snored loudly while Rose walked over to him. He let out a yelp of pain when Rose slammed her foot down on his.

"Hi," Rose said sweetly while Rain and the Doctor laughed, "what d'ya think of my outfit?"

"Where's mine?" Alan said, ignoring her while he looked around. "Where's my royal robes trimmed with ermine and scepter of power. Why am I still dressed like a commoner here?"

Rose sighed and walked over to the Doctor. The Doctor pretended to eye her critically then picked some imaginary lint off her bodice and flicked it away.

"I s'pose it will be satisfactory for the likes of you," he said to her.

Alan, Rain and Hope laughed when she began to smack his head. She stopped when the door opened and Josiah entered with a young girl dressed in a pink princess dress. The girl had a large wicker basket and she began to scatter different colored flower petals on the floor.

"Step on the flowers, Highness, and walk to your ride for the afternoon," Josiah said, bowing low.

"Sir, what about my royal robe and…"

Alan sighed angrily when Josiah went outside. The girl followed him, scattering the flower petals in her wake. Rain urged Hope to step on the flower petals but she also picked them up and looked at them while her mother led her out of the room. Alan nudged his brother's rib.

"Here's Rose, think we should throw her down with the flower petals and step on her?" he said, nudging Rose's side.

"I wouldn't if you want to live," Rose said to him before following Rain and Hope.

"Tetchy, ain't she?" Alan said to the Doctor as they followed them out.

They went down the hallway following Josiah while the girl dropped the flower petals in front of them. Hope frowned while she walked on them and looked at her father.

"They're makin' a mess. Do I have to clean it up?" she asked him.

The Doctor and his family laughed and he patted her head.

"No, they have to clean up their mess," he said fondly while they walked.

They went out the front door and saw a wooden palanquin. The palanquin was made of wood with two foot wooden sides and a white canopy on the top. Two long poles ran parallel underneath it and there were four burly man dressed in white military outfits who were standing by each end. The Doctor and his family followed the flower petals into the palanquin and when they were all seated on the blue velvet cushions, the men grabbed the poles picked it up and set the poles on their shoulders. Hope looked over the right side of the palanquin while they followed Josiah and Thomas along a paved path that went past the other shops and restaurants. People stopped and looked at them and waved and called to them. Hope grinned and waved back to them.

"Hey! Quit waving to the peasants," Alan said to her. "You're s'posed to look down on them, Your Royal Purplyness."

"You leave me alone!" Hope said with a huge grin as she lunged at him. "I'm a princess today and you have to do what I say!"

"I do, eh? Well, I never thought much of princesses. I like to overthrow their rule and take over, what'd ya think of that, small and mouthy?"

"You listen to me today, I'm a princess," Hope said, thrusting her finger in his face.

She giggled when Alan snapped his mouth, trying to bite the offending finger.

"I'm a princess, Mummy," Hope said, crawling over to her.

"Yes, you are, but you have to be more polite and proper than that, you can't crawl all over the cushions in that dress."

"AMEN, SISTER! " Alan said to her. "I still say we should beat her so she'll learn to sit still like a little purply statue and not run her gob and backchat."

"You mean, like you do?" Rose said to Alan.

"Brother?" Alan said to the Doctor.

"Yes?"

"I assume if Hope is the princess, that makes you king?"

"You better believe it," the Doctor said while Rain giggled.

"Sire, might I have your royal permission to stick this mouthy broad in the guillotine and sever her head?" Alan said, gesturing to Rose.

Rose gave the Doctor a warning look when he studied her.

"Nah, she might come back to haunt us, then she'd be indestructible," the Doctor said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Not if we go find a universe where the Ghostbusters are real," Alan pointed out.

Rain looked around when the front suddenly tilted down and she noticed they were headed down a ramp into an underground tunnel. Hope, noticing it too, went back to looking out the side of the palanquin while the others looked around.

"King Doctor has an underground kingdom, does he?" Alan said to Rose.

The tunnel was narrow with concrete walls and globular lights that cast a pale white glow. Rain got on her knees and looked over the side but she couldn't see anything other than the tunnel and the lights.

"Is this some kind of underground walkway to get to another part of the princess thing?" Rain asked as she sat back down beside her husband.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Latara. What about it, Rose? Your friend mention this?"

"No, she never said they went underground. She said they went inside a large building and had a party with a huge meal and a cake. But she never mentioned going underground to get to it."

The Doctor frowned when they kept on walking. His senses, honed from years of fighting evil, suddenly went on red alert when he sensed something was wrong.

"Excuse me, can we stop a moment?" the Doctor said, leaning over the side and yelling to Josiah and Thomas.

They looked back at him but they kept on going.

"I mean it, stop!" the Doctor said angrily while his family gave him odd looks.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked.

"Dunno, but I don't like this, stay here," the Doctor said.

He went to the opening in the wall of the palanquin and slid out onto the floor. The moment his feet hit the concrete floor, everyone stopped and Josiah and Thomas walked back to him.

"When I say stop, I mean stop," the Doctor said to them. "Now, I'm sorry if this is part of the whole princess experience but I want to know why we're going through a dimly lit tunnel and where it goes. So will you please humor me and…"

The adults in the palanquin yelled when Thomas's fist suddenly flew up and hit the Doctor in the face. The last thing he heard as he slipped into darkness was Josiah yelling at the others to take his family prisoner.


	141. Chapter 141

Chapter One Hundred and Forty One

"Right, stand back, let the professionals handle this!" Alan said while Adam moved around the room and the little black box in his hand beeped. He walked to the dresser as he scanned the dolls when Moira walked into the room and pulled on his arm, causing him to look down at her.

"You can look, but no touching," she said as she pointed to the dolls and Adam nodded, patting her on top of the head. He walked toward the window seat while Moira followed him and Duer glanced over at the Doctor, both of them smiling.

"The noise came from under the bed," Jamie said when Alan placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled. Adam stopped short when Moira walked into the back of his legs and he turned around, looking down at her.

"You ok?" he asked and Moira nodded her head.

"See, this is why we don't allow people in the room while we're investigating! Out!" Alan said while pointing to the door.

"But we might need some bait." Adam said as he looked around then room then looked at Moira and picked her up. "Ah, I found some!"

"Yes, I think she'll do nicely!" Alan said when Adam carefully placed Moira over his shoulder and she giggled.

"I dinnae want tae be bait!" Moira said as she playfully kicked her feet against Adam's chest and he shook his head, heading for the bed.

"Nope, sorry, you're going under that bed," Adam said as he tickled her side and Moira laughed.

"Wait!" Alan said when Adam stopped near the bed and rubbed Moira's back. Alan reached into his pocket when he removed a tape measure then measured Moira then placed the tape measure back into his pocket. "Nope, she's too big."

"Aw nuts," Adam said when he placed Moira on the bed and sighed. "Then what are we going to use as bait?"

"I was thinking about using Rain, but her big butt wouldn't fit under the bed," Alan said while the Doctor glared at him and Alan started pacing back and forth.

"What we need to do is take the mattress off the bed," Duer said while walking to the bed and picked up Moira, holding her carefully on his right hip.

"Close the door, will you, Jamie?" the Doctor asked as Jamie nodded and closed the door. The Doctor walked to the bed when he removed the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, knelt down and lifted up the corner of the dust ruffle. The blue light lit up the darkness when something growled and he saw the red eyes glaring at him. "Blimey, what is that?"

Duer handed Moira to Jamie when he knelt down next to the Doctor and looked under the dust ruffle. The growling grew louder as he looked at the Doctor and the Doctor placed the dust ruffle down.

"Bugger, I think we need to call in an expert," Duer said and the Doctor nodded.

"No, we'll handle this!" Alan said as he and Adam walked to the other side of the bed then knelt down on the floor and Alan lifted up the corner of the dust ruffle, looking under the bed. The red eyes glared at him when Adam knelt down and looked at the red eyes then looked up at the Doctor and had a slightly stunned look on his face.

"Does anyone know where Frazer is?" Adam asked and Alan let go of the dust ruffle and sat on his bottom, brushing his fingers through his hair.

"Grooga," Loch grumbled while Frazer moved the brush along Loch's neck and softly hummed. Loch lifted its chin as he scrubbed under Loch's chin and Loch purred. Placing the long handle brush against the railing, Frazer patted the soft skin when Loch vanished under the water and Frazer watched Loch swim toward the island at the center of the tank. Frazer didn't mind working the late shift at the zoo as he watched Loch crawl onto the island, curl up into a ball and close its eyes. Picking up the long handle brush, Frazer pushed the button that turned the overhead lights off and the tank grew dark. He headed down the ramp while the long handle brush bounced on his shoulder and he walked to the maintenance cart, placing the long handle brush inside the cart. Suddenly cartoon images of Adam and Alan being chased by what looked like huge cartoon bunnies made of dust and lint ran across his mind while Frazer blinked and shook his head, closing his eyes.

"What?" he asked while the cartoon images ran by again when the cartoon Alan stopped, holding up a big cartoon sign that read HELP! THERE ARE KILLER DUST BUNNIES AT HAMISH'S HOUSE!. One of the huge cartoon dust bunnies slowly appeared behind the cartoon Alan as the shadow covered him and Cartoon Alan slowly turned around. His eyes sprung out of his head when the huge cartoon dust bunny growled and Cartoon Alan screamed like a girl then ran off. The huge cartoon dust bunny ran after him as Frazer opened his eyes and frowned. "Right, I better go see what that's all aboot."

Jenna opened the door while Frazer walked inside and kissed her on the cheek.

"What are you doing here?" Jenna asked as she closed the door and he took his denim jacket off, placing the denim jacket on the peg near the door.

"Uncle Alan just sent me a weird message that you have killer dust bunnies," Frazer said then showed her what Alan sent him and Jenna softly laughed.

"Well, we're not sure what it is, but they're upstairs in Moira's room," Jenna said as he nodded and headed for the stairs. Zoe was sleeping on the couch under a Penguins of Madagascar duvet as Frazer quietly walked to the couch, leaned over then softly kissed the top of her head and Zoe sighed, snuggling under the duvet. Heading for the stairs, he went up the stairs when he walked down the hallway then stood in front of the door and knocked on the door.

"Everything ok in there?" he asked when the door opened and Jamie looked at him.

"Nae really," Jamie said as he opened the door enough for Frazer to come inside the room then Jamie closed the door, standing against it. Alan and Adam stood on either side of the bed while Duer sat on the rocking chair with Moira on his lap and he was gently rocking her, stroking her hair.

"So, where are these killer dust bunnies?" Frazer asked while he walked to the rocking chair and knelt down, smiling at Moira. "How are you doing, nighean brathair?"

"What did he say?" Adam whispered and Alan shrugged.

"It means "niece" in Gaelic," Duer said.

"Oh," they said at the same time and Moira smiled at Frazer.

"There is a uamhas under my bed," she whispered and Frazer softly smiled, stroking her hair.

"Really?" he asked and she nodded her head. Slowly crawling toward the bed, Frazer lifted the edge of the dust ruffle when he peeked under the bed then looked up at Adam. "Do you have a torch?"

"Yep," Adam said then reached into his pocket and brought out a torch, handing it to him. Nodding, Frazer turned the flashlight on when he shined the light under the bed and saw the sneakers, toys and candy wrappers.

'Blimey, it's a mess under here. I'm amazed you dinnae have namkeys under here," Frazer said when Moira got off of Duer's lap and walked to the bed, kneeling down next to him.

"What are namkeys?" she asked while Frazer went down on his stomach and shined the light around until he saw the red eyes.

"Those are namkeys," he said as he pointed to the red eyes and she settled down next to him, looking at the red eyes.

"Are they dangerous?"

"No, but they are cheeky little buggers," he said when one of the pair of red eyes moved closer and he turned the torch off. The namkey stopped a few inches from him when Frazer looked at it and the red eyes blinked at him. "Hello there."

The namkey was about two inches tall with gray and white fluff and it opened its small slit of a mouth, making soft gurgling sounds. Moira smiled at it when the namkey moved toward her as it blinked the glowing red eyes and made a purring sound.

"Can I touch it?" she whispered.

"I dinnae think so," Frazer said when the namkey moved toward him and tilted what he thought was its head to one side.

"Where do they come from?" Adam asked as he joined them on the floor and looked at the namkey. It moved quickly toward him as he smiled and it blinked the glowing red eyes at him.

"They come from the edges of the fey lands," Frazer said as Jamie walked closer and knelt down next to them.

"I thought the Great Queen said that the fey cannae see us anymore," Jamie said, reminding them what Great Queen Titania had told them when she freed Frazer from his godmother's control.

"Aye, they cannae do that, but this isnae a mystical being as it is a mystical creature," Frazer said as the namkey purred and he smiled.

"But how did they get under Moira's bed?" Duer asked as he joined them on the floor and looked at the namkey.

"Well, there are several ways, but they are mostly attracted to…" Frazer said when he saw Alan and the Doctor looking at him from the other side of the bed and Alan was about to poke one of the namkeys with a stick he had gotten out of his pocket. "No, Alan, dinnae do that!"

"Why?" Alan asked.

"Because it's rude," Duer said with wide eyes and Alan sighed, placing the stick on the floor.

"As I was saying, the namkeys are attracted to the sweet smell of candy an', from what I can see, someone had been hiding her candy wrappers under the bed," Frazer said and Moira smiled at him.

"Mommy doesnae like it if I eat too much candy," she said and Frazer shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"So how do we get rid of them?" Alan asked when they heard a louder growling sound coming from under the bed and they looked at each other. "What was that?"

"Uh-oh, I think we are in big trouble," Frazer said then stood up and they followed him.

"What's wrong?" Duer asked when the bed started shaking and he picked Moira up, holding her against him.

"Momma's here an' she doesnae sound happy," Frazer said and the bed slowly started rising off the floor.


	142. Chapter 142

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Two

When the Doctor came to, he was strapped into a metal chair in a bare room with concrete walls and floors. Across the small room was Alan, strapped into a similar chair. The side of the Doctor's face hurt and he winced at the stinging pain.

"Hello, seems we got ourselves in a bit of a pickle," Alan said to him the moment he saw his eyes open.

"What happened to the others?" the Doctor asked.

"Well…up until someone pointed a gun in my face and then knocked me out with it, they were okay, after that I had no idea until I woke up and found myself in here. However, I have been communicating mentally with them and they've been taken to a waiting room. But no one's said anything to them. Hope is upset though, bless her little cotton socks. I was juggling in her mind to try to entertain her but there's only so much I can do."

The Doctor connected with Rain's mind.

_Latara, are you alright?_ He thought to her.

_Yeah, so far. They haven't told us what they want, just given us a plate of food. Rose was brave enough to try it and she didn't drop dead or pass out so we're eating it to calm our nerves. What about you? Are you alright, love?_

_Um…alright as far as no one has touched me since they knocked me out. I'm strapped to a chair though and Alan's across the room. Um…are you eating cheese?_

_Yes, that's one of the things on the plate. Why?_

_Well, Hope is now in my mind eating cheese and staring at me, _the Doctor thought.

The Doctor imagined a large red heart shaped balloon. Hope giggled when he made it bounce into her and catch her inside. He bounced her around inside it while he was talking to his wife. While they were talking, the door opened and Josiah entered. The Doctor mentally told Rain to wait while he and Alan looked at their captor as he closed the door behind him.

"What's going on here?" the Doctor demanded. "Why have you done this?"

"We have need of your female relatives," Josiah said.

"Yeah, well we have need of them as well so I suggest letting them go," the Doctor shot back.

"They are beautiful. All of them could be real princesses," Josiah said.

The Doctor was momentarily shocked into silence. He wasn't expecting that.

"Um…yes, yes, they are," the Doctor said after a moment. "But…what does that have to do with anything?"

"We are collecting candidates to replace our princess who was killed in an assassination. We have set up this princess for a day experience to lure young women here so we could dress them up and observe them. The prettier ones are taken and put in cryogenic storage so our people can judge them."

"Well, wait," Alan said. "I had a friend that brought his daughter here and they went through this whole princess for a day thing without being kidnapped by anyone."

"Ah, well, probably because we deemed the females in that family too ugly for consideration."

"Blimey, I better not let Mazz get wind of that," Alan said.

"So you kidnap people, put them in storage and have a vote on who's the least manky?" the Doctor said to Josiah. "What happens to the losers then?"

"They're returned unharmed to their families."

"And if they're voted most prettiest, then they have to become your princess whether they want to or not," the Doctor said.

"We would like them to stay with us, yes," Josiah said.

"And what about me and my brother, what happens to us?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah, is this why we didn't get our royal robes because it's off with our heads now?" Alan said.

Josiah gave them a sheepish look and didn't say anything.

"Well, answer him," the Doctor said. "We're superfluous, right? So…off with our heads so we don't get in the way of your Pop Idol Princess audition?"

"Well, we were…kinda hoping the two of you would convince them to go along with it and we'd like your approval as well."

The Doctor and Alan stared at him for a moment in silence.

"You want us to approve you kidnapping our family members?" Alan finally said. "Are you an escaped mental patient or something?"

"Not to mention you're going to choose your next princess based solely on looks, not ruling ability or IQ or past performance? I mean, what if you choose the most beautiful woman and she turns out to be a raving, slobbering axe murderer who can't think of anything else other than kill, kill, kill? That's what you want for your ruler?" the Doctor said. "Because that a pretty daft way to select someone who's destined to lead your country…planet…town…I'm sorry, where are you from exactly? Because they don't have a monarchy on this planet as far as I know."

"I'm from Macca. As I said, there is civil war on our planet and our princess was assassinated."

"Do you have a king or queen then?" Alan said.

"A king, yes."

"Oookay, then here's a thought. Give the king a night off with the misses and let him produce the next princess instead of stealing one of your own."

"He can't do that. He's sterile."

"And the assassinated princess? Where did she come from?" the Doctor said.

"She was adopted."

"Adopted…as in kidnapped from a princess for a day thing or legitimately adopted?" Alan said.

"Legitimately adopted."

"Ooookay, then have your royal highness haul arse to the nearest orphanage and pick out a pretty princess instead of pinching our relatives," Alan said.

"We can't do that."

"Why not?" the Doctor said, narrowing his eyes.

"Orphanages won't let him adopt anyone."

"Again, why not?" the Doctor said.

"Well…he's an unfit parent, to be honest."

"And you want our approval to turn our wives and child over to an unfit parent for possible selection?" the Doctor. "Tell me something. Have you been checked recently for mental stability because if not, I know a few psychologists who would love to have you as their patient."

Suddenly the door flew open and Hope stomped inside, followed by Thomas.

"Hey," Hope said, walking over to the Doctor. "This is boring. I wanna go get a burger. I don't wanna be a princess anymore. I'm hungry. Let's go!"

The Doctor fought to keep from laughing when Hope stood there at his side, hands on hips while she waited him to get out of the chair he was currently strapped to so they could go. The Doctor gave Josiah a pointed look.

"Well, your princess is bored and hungry and wants to leave, shouldn't you be doing her bidding?" he said while Alan snickered.

Thomas grunted when Rain suddenly shoved him out of the way and entered the room. He nearly fell to the floor but recovered in time for Rose to grab him by his shirt.

"Set…them…free…now!" she said to him through clenched teeth as she pointed to the Doctor.

Meanwhile, Hope, frustrated that her captive father wasn't moving fast enough was now undoing the straps on his wrists while the Doctor was giving Josiah a warning look in case he tried to interfere.

"I want a burger, Daddy, this is boring now," Hope said as she unbuckled the first strap. "Can we go get a burger?"

"Yes, love, just as soon as Daddy gets free and sees how many people this nice man has on cold storage," the Doctor said, not taking his eyes off Josiah.

He giggled when Rose shoved Thomas's back. Thomas let out a grunt as he nearly collided with Josiah and Rose snorted disdainfully while she went over to free her husband. Josiah and Thomas turned to run and saw Rain standing there, arms crossed over her chest.

"I wouldn't if I were you," Rain said to them. "My husband likes people to cooperate with him. Means he doesn't have to beat them into submission. Not to mention you don't want to come up against my Navajo temper, especially since you threatened my daughter's life."

"Actually, Latara, they weren't threatening her per say, it was really me and Alan who were in danger of snuffing it. Still…"

The Doctor, freed his other arm after Hope freed him. Hope watched while he undid the straps and got out of the chair along with Alan.

"So…" he said, putting his hands in his pockets as he strolled casually over to Josiah, "let's see these other candidates you got tucked away and do it quickly, my daughter is very hungry."

A few hours later, the TARDIS arrived back at the Doctor's house and all of them entered the house, food sacks in hand and tired and weary. Much to the Doctor's relief, they only had five candidates in cryogenic pods, all beautiful he had to admit, and he managed to wake them up and find out where they belonged. He quickly took them home but not before he turned Josiah, Thomas and their helpers into the local authorities for kidnapping and cryostasis imprisonment.

The Doctor walked into the kitchen, sat his bulky food sack down on the counter and with a sigh turned to go to the lavatory to pee and freshen up. He smiled when he saw his daughter coming in after him, food sack in hand and a little purple alien plushie that came with her kid's meal under her arm. The Doctor let Hope keep her outfit and as she came in now and put the food sack on the table, he marveled how cute she looked in her slippers and dress and tiara. To his relief, Hope seemed to think that the kidnapping was part of the playacting and wasn't traumatized. It amused him that his daughter seemed to be bored by it all and he knew that without a doubt, this was his biological daughter.

"What we gonna do after we eat, Daddy?" Hope asked him.

"Well, you're gonna go to bed, actually," the Doctor teased.

"No!" she said while he laughed. "I wanna do more. I wanna go somewhere and do things. I want fun!"

"Yup, my love, you are most definitely my daughter," the Doctor said, patting her on the head and giving her a kiss before he walked out of the kitchen and headed towards the bathroom.


	143. Chapter 143

A/N: Hamish is still blind in this story. He didn't get his sight until Moira was five years old.

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Three

Duer turned Moira's face away as he moved backward toward the door and the bed rose toward the ceiling. The namkeys scampered in the corner while a large creature covered in gray, black and white fluff snarled at the Doctor, Adam, Frazer and Alan and the bed rocked back and forth on its head. The creature shook its head when the bed crashed into the wall and Duer quickly opened the door, leaving the room. Closing the door, he looked at Moira while tears trickled down her cheeks and he sighed, placing her head on his shoulder.

"_What is wrong with Moira?" _Hamish thought as Duer moved his mind closer and set up a privacy block.

"_It appears that the monster under her bed is real," _Duer thought, gently rubbing her back.

"_What kind of beastie is it?"_

"_Frazer says it's a namkey."_

"_Is a namkey dangerous?" _Hamish asked as Duer heard a loud crashing sound and Moira screamed.

"_Well, the little ones aren't. It's the big one that worries me," _Duer said when the door to Moira's bedroom shook and Duer sighed.

"_Do you wish us tae come home?"_

"_No, the last thing I need is more targets. Just stay where you are and I'll contact you when we've defeated this thing," _Duer thought and Hamish sighed.

"_Lower the privacy block so I can talk with Moira," _Hamish thought as Duer lowered the privacy block and Moira's eyes went wide when she saw her daddy inside her mind. He knelt down as she ran to him and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Pa-pa, there is a uamhas under my bed!" Moira said while sobbing against his chest and Hamish hushed her.

"Aye, but sinn-seanair will take care of it," he said and kissed the top of her head.

"I want you tae take care of it!"

"I ken that you do, Little Dove, but how can I when I cannae see."

"That never stopped you before," Moira said and Hamish softly laughed.

"Aye, there isnae much that can stop me when it comes tae a fight, but I think this is one time that sinn-seanair has tae play the hero."

"What if the beastie breaks my "no touch" dolls?"

"Then we will go an' get new ones," he said with a wink and she giggled after he tickled her.

"No, I dinnae like dollies that I cannae play with. Can I get one of the dollies that Faith has?"

"Are you talking aboot her chibi?"

"Aye, can I have one? I promise tae take care of it."

"We'll have tae ask River. She's the one that has the machine that makes them," he said then wiped her eyes with his thumbs and she smiled at him. He stood up as he patted her head then left and Moira looked at Duer. The sound of things crashing and breaking came from behind the door as Duer sighed and Moira shrugged, tilting her head to one side.

"LOOK OUT!" Alan shouted as the namkey skittered along the floor while the larger creature charged at them and Alan used a broken arm from the rocking chair as a weapon.

"Why is it so pissed off? We didn't do anything!" Adam shouted from behind the mattress fort he and Alan had made.

"Ask Frazer!" Alan said as he dived over the mattress and Frazer was in front of the large creature. He was trying to figure out the language the creature was using but it was more like barks and growls then words and he held his hands up, palms out toward the creature.

"Nah, nah, Good Mother, calm thyself. We wish no harm tae yer kin and kits," Frazer said as the large creature snarled at him and the namkey made little noises from the sideboards. "Why are ye so angry?"

"Maybe she doesnae like the idea of us trying tae get rid of her bairn," Jamie said from his hiding place at the side of the wardrobe. The Doctor was kneeling down next to the dresser as he looked at the shattered remains of Moira's "no touch" dolls and sighed.

"Aye, Dad, you might be right," Frazer said as he walked closer and the large creature growled. He looked at the namkey then knelt down as he wiggled a finger at the namkey but the namkey didn't move and the large creature growled louder, making him look up at her. He stood up when the large creature roared and they covered their ears. Frazer dived out of the way as the large creature barreled passed him then through the wall, the wires in the wall sparked and hissed as they looked at each other and Adam whistled.

"No!" Duer shouted as Jamie opened the door and they ran into the hallway. Duer had ran down the stairs with Moira while the namkey and the large creature stood in the hallway and the large creature snarled. The namkey made loud screeching when the namkey scampered down the hallway and headed for Zoe's room.

"Och, someone stop them!" Jamie said as Adam and Alan ran, hopping over the namkey, then beat the namkey to the door and slammed the door shut.

"Nah-nah-nah!" Alan said as he wiggled his hips and the namkey growled, bouncing up and down. Turning, the namkey scampered down the hallway toward the guest room and the main bedroom and went inside. "Fuck!"

Alan and Adam ran then skidded to a stop while the large creature snarled at them and open its mouth, showing them four rows of sharp teeth. The Doctor has run down the stairs when he saw Duer standing near the couch and Jenna was holding Zoe and Moira.

"What is going on up there?" Jenna asked as she hushed Zoe and Moira and the sound of things being broken came from upstairs.

"Turns out that the monster under Moira's bed was real," Duer said then sent an image into her mind and Jenna blinked a few times.

"Blimey, what are they?"

"Frazer says they're namkey," the Doctor said and she nodded. The crashing and yelping sounds filled the air when Duer and the Doctor looked at each other then nodded, going back up the stairs.

"No, dinnae come any closer!" Frazer said as the large creature spun around and snarled at them.

"Right, I've had enough!" Duer said as he walked toward the large creature and it growled at him. "Oh, shut it."

The large creature blinked its black eyes several times while Duer crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot.

"Look, we do not want to hurt you or your…children. They were the ones that were frightening my great-granddaughter. Ok, it's true that she left those candy wrappers under her bed, but that gave them no right to take up residence there. So, being a good grandfather, well, great-grandfather, I was asked to come help get rid of them," he said and the large creature snarled louder. "Oi, aren't you listening to me? How was I supposed to know what they were? I thought they were just plain old dust bunnies. Anyway, what I am trying to tell you is…"

A lamp sailed out from the main bedroom as Duer and the Doctor ducked and the lamp shattered against the wall.

"Right, I have had enough of this!" Alan said when he pulled down the goggles and Adam smiled, doing the same.

"What are you two up to?" the Doctor asked as Alan smiled then took a running start, hopping onto the banister. He ran by the large creature as it turned to bite him while Adam ran around the other side of it and Alan hopped off the banister, going into the main bedroom. Slamming the doors closed, Alan and Adam looked at the namkey, who were shocked to see them, and took the hoses from the backpacks in their hands and smiled.

"Hello," they said at the same time and flicked the switch on the side of the backpacks. A loud whooshing sound filled the air as the namkey screeched and went flying into the air.

"Och, I dinnae think that was a good idea," Jamie said when the large creature roared and curled into a ball, rolling down the hallway toward the main bedroom door.

"Alan, get away from the door!" the Doctor shouted as the large creature crashed through the door and splinters of wood flew into the air. Ducking, they watched as the large creature roared and headed for Alan. No one could believe how quickly he dodged the large creature as he darted out of the main bedroom and headed down the stairs.

"Adam, get out of there!" Duer shouted when they heard a loud crash and the door to the guest room opened. Adam darted down the stairs as they watched him then heard a loud bellowing sound and Jamie, Frazer, Duer and the Doctor ran down the stairs.

"Jenna, grab the girls and get out of here!" Duer shouted as Jenna and the girls stood up and a loud crashing sound came from upstairs. They watched as the large creature appeared at the top of the stairs and it bellowed.

"Look at the size of…" Jamie said and Duer glared at him.

"Not now, Jamie!" Duer shouted when the large creature smashed through the banister and jumped into the air. Jenna and Jamie placed the girls behind them when the large creature landed and roared.

"Oh, come on, they're not hurt," Alan said when he and Adam took the backpacks off and opened them. Reaching inside, they removed the glass containers as they held the glass containers up and the namkey moved against the glass.

"Uh, guys, I think that was a bad idea," Duer said as the large creature screamed and they covered their ears. The large creature charged at Alan and Adam as they yelped then ran and the large creature barreled through the couches, following them into the kitchen. The large creature barreled through the kitchen island as Alan and Adam headed for the back door and Alan opened the door.

"I think he was right. This was a bad idea," Adam said and Alan flipped him off as they ran out of the house. The sound of the back door shattering filled the air as they ran around the side of the house and the large creature followed them.

"Blimey, for a pile of fluff and dust, it certainly can run," Alan said as they headed around the front of the house when they saw Frazer standing in front of him and he nodded. Alan and Adam ran as the large creature came closer and they hid behind Frazer.

The large creature snarled as it barreled at them and Frazer clicked his fingers. The large creature snarled when the small black box it had crawled on top of snapped open and a bright green light appeared. The large creature snarled as the bright green light sucked it into the small black box when the small black box snapped shut and he smiled.

"What was that?" Alan said as the others came out of the house and Frazer picked up the small black box.

"It's a trap cage. It's standard issue at the zoo for caging wild beasties," he said and Alan and Adam gave him a stunned look.

"Why didn't you use that earlier?" Adam demanded.

"I forgot I had one," he said as Alan and Adam looked at each other then at Frazer and walked closer.

"You forgot?" Alan asked as he and Adam placed the glass containers down and Frazer backed up, his eyes wide.

"Help!" Frazer said as he ran and Adam and Alan ran after him. Duer looked at the Doctor as the Doctor shrugged and they walked back into the house.

Hamish and his family spent the next few weeks at Jamie and Jenna's house until the Doctor had Hamish' house rebuilt and, after finding out where they came from, he took the namkey and their mother home.

Moria didn't get a chibi, but she did end up with a doll that looks just like her and several boxes of clothes, accessories, pets and furniture for her new doll.


	144. Chapter 144

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Four

"Good morning, love."

The Doctor opened his eyes and smiled at Rain when she leaned over and kissed his cheek. They were lying in bed together on the morning of their joint birthdays. They had spent the night quietly making love so Hope wouldn't wake up and had taken a quick two hour nap before waking up just after dawn.

"Happy birthday, my lives mate," the Doctor said softly.

"You too."

"Yeah, but this is just an adopted birthday for me. You…you were actually born on this day," the Doctor said, gazing with love at her naked body. "Valentine's Day…the day my wife and my friend and my lover was born."

"And I still look just as good as the day I became a Time Lady. God, I love being Gallifreyan," Rain said.

They heard the doorknob turning but the door was locked.

"Hey!" they heard Hope say. "Daddy? Mummy?"

"Ought oh, the offspring has awoken," the Doctor said, winking.

"Yeah, I guess we should get our clothes on before she breaks down the door," Rain said softly.

The Doctor kissed her lips and watched as she pushed back the covers and got out of the bed.

"Daddy?"

"Just a moment, love, go ahead and go downstairs and we'll be there in a moment, yeah?" the Doctor yelled out while Rain opened her chest of drawers and started getting some clothes out of them.

"What you doin'?" Hope said through the door as she knocked on it. "I wanna come in!"

"I have a thought, let's run down to the TARDIS, go forward 200 years and we won't have to worry about Hope knocking on the door while we get dressed. How 'bout it?" the Doctor said to Rain as he grabbed a brown suit out of the closet.

"Nah, she might starve to death and be a skeleton by the time we get back," Rain replied.

"With our massive family and Alan and Rose coming nearly every day, are you joking?" the Doctor said while Rain giggled.

The Doctor grabbed everything he needed and ran into their bathroom. He shut the door just as Rain finished throwing on a lavender t-shirt. Straightening it, she walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hey, how come you locked the door?" Hope said as she lowered her fist to her side.

"Because we were doing something that only adults do and we needed privacy," Rain said as Hope came inside the room.

"Daddy's in there?" Hope said, going towards the bathroom.

"Yes, but don't go in there, he's getting dressed," Rain replied.

The Doctor quickly opened the door, stuck his head out and stared at Hope with fearful eyes.

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!" he screamed before he stuck his head back in and slammed the door.

Rain laughed when Hope let out a delighted squeal, ran to the door and began to pound on it.

"Let me in, Daddy!" she squealed as she pounded.

"Nooooo," the Doctor howled through the door while Hope laughed hysterically. "Leave me aloooone!"

"Let me in!" Hope squealed as she pounded.

Rain walked over and grabbed her around the waist.

"Baby," she said through her laughter, "stop before you break down the door. Daddy'll be out in a minute, okay?"

"I wanna do something today," Hope said, turning away from the door.

"We're gonna do something today. Today is your mummy and daddy's birthday so we're gonna have a big party tonight. Does that sound good?"

Hope's eyes widened and she nodded. While she was doing that, the Doctor opened the door, peeked out and then carefully stepped out. He tiptoed over to his daughter and she let out a shriek when he suddenly thrust his fingers into her armpits.

"DON'T LOOK AT MEEEE!" he screamed as he ran out of the room.

Rain laughed as Hope gave chase and sprinted out of the room. She went out of the bedroom and headed downstairs. While Rain made breakfast, the Doctor went back upstairs to their bedroom. He walked over to their bed, took a small blue felt jewelry box out of his pocket and laid it on Rain's pillow before he headed back downstairs. He sniffed the air and his mouth watered when he smelled the aroma of pancakes, eggs and sausage patties. While he was walking into the kitchen, his mobile rang.

"Yes?" he said after he took it out of his pocket and answered it.

"Happy birthdaaaay," Alan crooned. "Happy birthdaaay to yoooou!"

"Thank you," the Doctor said.

"Where is Rainy? I need to do the same."

"Rainy is cooking breakfast but I'll put the mobile to her ear," the Doctor said.

Rain glanced at him and stood still at the stove while he put the mobile to her ear. She chuckled when Alan crooned to her.

"Thanks, Bro," she said.

"My pleasure. So…what are you fixing for the break the fast?" he asked.

Rain told him and he made a Homer Simpson drooling sound.

"Sounds good. The misses and I had some ham and eggs this morning. Very nummy. So…what shenanigans are you getting up to today?"

"Dunno, we haven't decided yet. Tara offered to take Hope to the movies tonight while we went out," Rain said, taking the mobile from the Doctor while she turned the fried eggs. "But the party might be enough. We already had our birthday night early this morning."

"Ooo, I see. I'm sure the wee one had to go to bed then?"

"Yes. And she was up and banging on our door this morning," Rain said.

Rain looked down when Hope tugged on her jeans.

"Is that Uncle Alan?" she asked.

"Yes, you wanna talk to him?"

Hope nodded and Rain told Alan she wanted to talk before handing the phone to her. The Doctor came up behind her while Rain finished making the food and putting it on the plates. He put his arms around her belly and Rain sighed contentedly while the Doctor kissed her cheek.

"Ew, Mummy and Daddy are getting smushy now," Hope said into the mobile.

"Then don't watch us," the Doctor said to her while Rain and Alan both laughed. "No one said you had to watch us and don't go telling your uncle we're getting smushy! He teases us enough as it is."

"They're being smushy and it's gross, Uncle Alan," Hope said, walking away while the Doctor feigned exasperation and let out a sigh.

"You know, I might ask Jack to put her in cryogenic storage. I think 500 years in a drawer will be enough to curb her cheeky tongue," the Doctor said to Rain.

"In the meantime, we can keep on being smushy," Rain said.

The Doctor grinned and waggled his eyebrows before he kissed her lips.

After breakfast, Rain stepped out on the porch while the Doctor walked into the garage to get another present he had hid for his wife. On the way there, she heard Rain laughing and applauding. Curious, he turned and gasped when he nearly ran into Hope who had been following him with Anne and Elizabeth behind her.

"I'm gonna put bells on you lot one of these days," he said to her.

He patted Hope on the head and she and the dogs followed him outside. The moment he got outside, he froze and deduced what Rain had been laughing at when he saw her dad's house across the way. John, Tim and Linus were sitting in chairs on their front porch waving. Above them was a banner hung across the porch that read HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOCTOR AND RAIN. The Doctor laughed and waved to them when they applauded and cheered him. Taking Hope's hand, the three of them and the dogs went down the steps and walked across the road.

"We did it this morning," John said as they came up onto their porch. "Been waiting for you to come out and see it."

"Well, we had a bit of fun this morning and got up late," Rain said.

The three men nodded knowingly while Hope gave her mother a questioning look.

"Glad to know that after all these years, you still have a loving marriage," John said, patting Rain's arm.

"Well, someone has to keep him in check," Rain said.

"I'm sorry?" the Doctor said while the adults laughed.

John held up a finger, got up out of his chair and went inside.

"So, are you planning to do anything besides have the party?" Linus asked when John closed the door.

"Dunno yet, we're still thinking about it," the Doctor said. "Might go fishing with you lot."

"Hmm, might have to take that up with Wilf," Tim said. "Knowing you, you'd find all the fish before we would and he likes to be the top fisherman of the group."

"Nah, I would never try to outdo Wilf," the Doctor said while they chuckled.

The door opened and Samuel, John and Wilf came out. Samuel was holding a pie pan filled with sweet potato pie and Wilf had a large gift bag for them.

"Happy birthday," Wilf said, setting the bag down and giving the Doctor a hug.

Tim took the pie so Samuel could do the same while Wilf hugged Rain. They laughed when Hope immediately lifted her arms to him and he bent over to give her a hug. After telling them they'd see them at the party. The Doctor and Rain took the pie and gift bag and everyone went back to the house. On the way there, Hope was trying to peek into the gift bag and the Doctor snickered when he finally lifted it way above his head.

"Hey!" Hope said while Rain giggled. "I wanna see what you got!"

"All in good time, all in good time," the Doctor said. "We'll save it until tonight, then we'll see what it is, yeah?"

"Yeah," Hope mumbled.

The Doctor leaned over and kissed her head. He took her hand and winked at her as everyone went inside.


	145. Chapter 145

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Five

"Banana!" Adam shouted while standing near the kitchen island and Alan leaned his hands on the counter, locking eyes with him.

"I say red silk! It's my brother and sister-in-law's birthday, you know!" Alan said as they glared at each other then yelped when Marion and Rose smacked them on the back of their heads.

"Why not make both?" Rose asked as they looked at her and blinked.

"And why are you two making the cake anyway? The TARDIS will make one for them," Marion said while putting the kettle on for some tea and Alan leaned against the counter, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well, we couldn't think of anything to get them for their birthday and the TARDIS agreed that we could make the cake this year," he said and Rose gave him a slightly stunned look.

"Are you serious?" she asked and Alan and Adam nodded their heads.

"Oh, this is going to be a disaster," Marion sighed and they gave her a stunned look.

"I can bake, you know," Adam said and Marion half smiled.

"Yeah, and the last time you baked anything, you nearly set the kitchen on fire," she teased and Adam arched an eyebrow at her.

"Right, out, the pair of you," Alan said, pointing with a wooden spoon.

"Not until we have our tea," Rose said.

"Fine, have your tea then get out!" Adam said and Rose and Marion softly laughed.

Frankie snuggled under the duvet when she sighed and reached her hand across the bed. Feeling the empty space, she opened her eyes then frowned and wondered where Duer was. Suddenly she heard soft whispers coming from behind the door as she smiled and closed her eyes again. Duer quietly opened the door as he held it open and Faith walked toward the bed, carrying a gift bag in her hands. In front of her was Elby, her chibi of Duer's eleventh life, and it was carrying a single rose in its hands like a flag. The rose bobbed up and down as they walked closer to the bed and Duer followed behind them, carrying the tray with Frankie's breakfast.

"Is Mommy still asleep?" Faith asked as she tried to see when Duer placed the tray on the floor and sat down on the bed.

"Mommy, are you asleep?" he asked he gently shook Frankie but she didn't wake up and he felt her giggling inside his mind. "Ah, I think Mommy needs a kiss to wake up."

"Oh yuck," Faith said as she scrunched up her face and Elby made kissy lips, making Duer smile. Sticking his tongue out at Faith, Duer leaned over and kissed Frankie's cheek.

"_Time to wake up, Love," _he thought as Frankie smiled and opened her eyes, looking up at him.

"Morning," Frankie said as Faith placed Elby on the bed then climbed on the bed and crawled toward her. Elby held up the rose as it smiled at Frankie and she took the rose, sniffing it. "Thank you."

Elby blushed after Frankie kissed the top of its head and buried its face in its hands. Duer rolled his eyes while Frankie sat up and picked Elby off the bed, holding it in her arms.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy," Faith said as she handed Frankie the gift bag and Elby tried to see what was inside the gift bag. Frankie held the gift bag open as Elby peeked inside and reached inside, trying to pick up the small box that was inside the gift bag. Yelping, Elby slipped inside the gift bag as its tiny legs kicked back and forth and Faith giggled, lifting Elby out of the gift bag.

"Hey, that's hers!" Duer said as Elby nodded then held the velvet covered box out to Frankie and she took the velvet covered box from Elby. Faith crawled up the bed until she was snuggled between Duer and Frankie and held Elby in her arms. Frankie smiled when she opened the velvet box then looked at the gold necklace and her eyes went wide. Picked up the gold necklace, she saw the gemstone charms and Duer kissed her hair. "Like it?"

"Oh yes!" Frankie said as Faith pouted and looked up at him.

"What are those?" she asked as she pointed to the gemstone charms and Duer smiled.

"Well, the first one is for Mommy's birthday, the second one is for Uncle Cameron's birthday, the third one is for Cameron's birthday and this one is for your birthday," Duer said while Faith kept count then pouted.

"Wait, there isn't one for your birthday, Daddy," she said and Duer shyly smiled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's because I don't know when my birthday is," he said and they gave him a stunned look.

"You don't?" Faith asked with wide eyes.

"Nope," Duer said, shaking his head.

"And you never had a birthday party?"

"Nope, not a one!" he said.

"And you never had birthday cake or a party or presents?"

"No, poor me," he sighed and Faith frowned.

"We need to pick a day for Daddy so he can a have a birthday!" she said and Frankie smiled at her.

"That is a lovely idea!" she said and Elby nodded.

"Oh, don't do that, I'm happy not having one," he said when Faith knelt on the bed and placed her hands on her hips.

"No, you should have one!" Faith said, wagging a finger at him and Elby waved a finger at him as well.

"Well, do you have any date in mind?" he asked as Faith yelped from him tickling her armpits and she wiggled on the bed.

"Yeah, how about Christmas?" she asked and Duer gave her a stunned look.

"And why would I want to celebrate it on Christmas?"

'Well, you would get a lot of presents!" Faith said with a smile and Frankie softly smiled, shaking her head.

"I had a friend that was a Christmas baby, but she hated it," she said and Faith looked at her.

"Why?"

"She just did."

"Can Daddy have his birthday on Halloween?"

"Why would I want that for a birthday?" Duer asked with wide eyes. "There would be all these monsters and ghosts running and I'd be scared!"

"But you could go out and get candy," Faith said and Duer thought for a few seconds then nodded.

"She does have a point. Imagine all the candy I could get by telling people it was my birthday!" he said and Frankie softly giggled.

"Right, like you need an excuse when it comes to getting candy," she said and Duer gave her a stunned look.

"Can I help it if I have a sweet tooth?" he asked and she kissed his cheek.

"It must be a Time Lord thing. The Doctor and Amato are candy-holics, too," Frankie said then moved away as he tried to tickle and Faith giggled.

"Well, maybe I have to live without having a birthday," Duer sighed, lowering his chin toward his chest. Faith crawled onto his lap when she lifted his chin and patted his cheeks with her hands.

"You can share my birthday, Daddy," she said as his eyes went wide and he sent little cartoon hearts into her head.

"Yay, I have a birthday!" he said as she kissed the tip of his nose and settled against him with her back against his chest. Duer wrapped his arms around her when he remembered the tray by the bed and looked down at it. "Um, Mommy's breakfast is getting cold."

"I'll get it," Frankie sighed as she got out of bed, walked around to the other side of the bed, picked up the tray then walked around to the other side of the bed. Sitting down on the bed, she placed the tray on her lap when she looked at the tray and lifted the lid off the first plate.

On the plate were some eggs, square sausages carved into the shape of a heart and some orange slices and Frankie placed her head on Duer's shoulder. Under the second lid was a bowl of apple and cinnamon yogurt and some sliced bananas. A small pot of tea, a china cup and silverware were also on the tray and Duer reached over and tucked the napkin under her chin.

"Am I supposed to eat all this?" she asked and Duer nodded. Shrugging, she picked up the fork then started eating and Duer placed his head against hers.

"Ok, you can come in now," Alan called from the kitchen doorway and Rose and Marion got off the couch, walking toward the kitchen. They had heard a few curse words while Adam and Alan were in the kitchen, but they were not ready for what was sitting on the kitchen island counter.

"Whoa," Marion said.

"Blimey," Rose said and Adam gave them a blank look while wiping off the counter. On the counter was a seven tier cake covered in pink fondant with red and milk chocolate hearts and HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOCTOR AND RAIN was written on the bottom. "You did NOT make this!"

"Do you hear that, Old Smelly Toes? They are questioning our baking abilities!" Alan said and Adam pouted.

"I hear that, Old Cake Master, the nerve of them doubting us!" Adam said and tossed the towel he was using to wipe the counter down on the counter.

"Ok, we're sorry," Marion said and Rose nodded.

"Then we forgive you," Alan said as they walked out of the kitchen and Rose looked at Marion then the cake.

"Do you really think they made it?" Rose asked when Marion walked to the back door, following a trail of black crumbs. Placing her finger to her lips, they walked outside then walked to the rubbish bin and Rose nodded. Marion opened the lid of the rubbish bin then looked inside and smiled. Rose looked at what she was looking at when she saw the burnt remains of the cake, several ruined plastic bowls, piles of ruined fondant and globs of melted chocolate. Closing the lid, Marion hushed her as they went back inside and closed the door.

"_You made the cake, didn't you?" _Rose thought after setting up a privacy block and the TARDIS grumbled inside her mind.

"Did she make the cake?" Marion asked and Rose nodded.

"But we're going to pretend that they made it," Rose said.

"Yeah, or we're going to have to watch them sitting around, moping and complaining," Rose sighed when Alan and Adam walked back into the kitchen and tilted their heads to one side.

"Who are you talking about?" Alan asked.

"Uh…" Rose said as Alan walked to her and placed his hands on his hips.

"Well?" he asked, tapping his foot.

"She's talking about the Doctor and Rain!" Marion said as Adam walked to her and stood in front of her, his hands on his hips.

"And why would they be moping? It's their birthday," he said.

"Well, they are going to be sad that they have to cut into that masterpiece over there," Marion said, pointing to the cake and they looked at it.

"Ah, I see your point," Alan said.

"Yes, it is a work of art," Adam said with a grin.

"Well, how about asking the TARDIS to put it in the party room and we go get ready?" Marion asked as she held her hand out and Adam took her hand.

"See ya later," Adam said as they left the kitchen and Alan walked to the kitchen island and looked at the cake.

"Oh, you are so beautiful!" he said as he placed his elbows on the table and placed his chin on the back of his hands. Smiling, he half closed his eyes then turned his head and looked at Rose. "The TARDIS does great work, eh?"

"Hold on, you knew that you didn't make this?" she asked as he stood up and stood against the counter.

"Starlight, I may be a lot of things, but a baker I am not!" he said with a smile and she sighed, rolling her eyes. Walking to her, Alan placed his arm around her waist as they left the kitchen and the cake disappeared.


	146. Chapter 146

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Six

"Finally," the Doctor muttered when Rain went outside to go visit with her father for awhile. "Now to get that other gift from the TARDIS."

He hurried out to the garage, went inside his time ship and requested the gift. There was a flash and the large gift appeared on the console, wrapped in pink wrapping paper with red hearts all over it and a big red bow on top. The Doctor thanked his ship, walked out, shut the door and walked back inside the house. He froze when he saw Hope standing there staring at him. She had been upstairs playing with her dolls when he went out to the TARDIS and he hoped she would still be playing with them when he came back inside. He feigned surprise while Hope stared at the gift with silent interest. The Doctor walked past her and once he was past her, he took two steps, froze and looked back at her with wide eyes. Hope giggled as she followed behind him. He walked over to a potted plant by the stairs, slowly bent down as if he was going to hide the package there, froze and looked at Hope with wide eyes while she giggled. Then he quickly straightened up and walked over to the sofa while Hope followed. He moved aside a tan pillow on the sofa and leaned down as if he was going to hide it behind the pillow, froze and stared at Hope with wide eyes when she came up beside him.

"I see you," Hope said before she giggled again.

The Doctor set the gift down on the sofa, fiddled around in his pocket, withdrew a long red scarf and blindfolded Hope. Hope laughed and pulled it off as the Doctor grabbed the gift and walked towards the kitchen. She followed him and laughed when he paused at the door, looked over his shoulder and his mouth dropped open in feigned surprise.

"I see you," Hope said with a wave.

"What will it take for you to keep your silence about Mummy's gift then?" he asked.

Hope walked up and touched the box.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Something special for Mummy," the Doctor said. "It's her birthday gift."

"Ooo, can we give it to her now?" Hope asked.

"Not yet, my love. We wait till tonight, yeah? In the meantime, don't say anything or I'll tickle you until you can't speak anymore, okay?"

Hope giggled and nodded.

"This'll be our secret so don't tell, okay?"

Hope nodded and she walked with the Doctor as he went upstairs with the gift. When he entered the bedroom, Hope walked over to Rain's pillow and stared at the jewelry box.

"That's the other gift I got her. Don't say anything," the Doctor said, laying the gift on the bed in front of the pillow."

"What did Mummy get you?"

"Dunno. But I don't care if she got me something or not. Your mummy being here with us is a gift I enjoy every day," the Doctor said, taking her hand as they walked out of the room. "But don't tell, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy."

They went downstairs and the Doctor let go of her hand as he walked to the front window. Hope followed him and came up beside him while he stood at the window and looked across the way at Rain. She was sitting with John on his porch, talking and laughing with him. Hope frowned when she heard her father saying something in an unfamiliar language.

"What did you say? You didn't make any sense, Daddy," she said.

He knelt down beside her.

"I spoke in Gallifreyan. I was saying that I was glad that I met your mother and I hoped that we'd spend many more birthdays together," he said.

"What's Gallifreyan?" Hope said, frowning.

He smiled.

"My native language. It's the language I spoke when I was your age, when I lived on the original Gallifrey," he said to her. "It's what I use when I sing you lullabies at night."

"It's pretty. Can you say doggie in Gallifreyan?"

The Doctor frowned.

"Um…well…there was something like a dog on Gallifrey, but you're thinking of Earth dogs and they didn't have a word for that, love. They didn't know what Earth dogs were until our ancestors found Earth and started visiting it. So I'm afraid the word for dog on Gallifrey is dog. Now the thing that was like a dog was a va'ya and people kept them as pets like Anne and Elizabeth."

"Va'ya," Hope said slowly.

"That's right," the Doctor said, patting her head. "I'll have to start teaching you some Gallifreyan then."

"How do you say happy birthday in Gallifreyan?"

"E'ya Shi'an," the Doctor said.

Hope repeated it with him a few times and then the Doctor smiled when she dashed to the front door, threw it open and screamed it at her mother as she ran down the porch steps and across the street. The Doctor stood up and watched with loving eyes as Hope ran up the porch steps yelling "E'ya Shi'an!" to her mother while they laughed.

"I see someone has been giving her a language lesson," the Doctor heard Rain say to John as she hugged her daughter.

The Doctor stood and watched them, listening to Hope's excited words that drifted back to him. He figured in her excitement she would tell her mother about the gifts but he was pleasantly surprised when she didn't say a word and after twenty minutes walked back over with her to their house. He looked down at Anne and Elizabeth when they came up to him and he scratched behind their ears.

"I'm so proud of my daughter," he said as he petted them and they licked his hands. "She'll make a wonderful Time Lady someday."

Several hours later, Alan boxed up the cake he and Adam made while Rose finished wrapped a rectangular gift. They were having another pitch in for their birthday, a huge feast for everyone and Rose contributed some mashed potatoes that were in a huge pot. While Rose finished putting a red bow on the gold wrapping, she smiled when Alice came up beside her and she rubbed her head.

"Behave, you. Don't you and Speck cause trouble while we're gone," she said.

"Specky-poo's an angel. She won't cause a fuss unlike the canine calamity there," Alan said.

"Yeah, right. That rat of yours loves getting into the cupboard and leaving her shite everywhere. Least Alice is house trained," Rose said.

"She does not. My Speck is well behaved," Alan said.

"That's because I clean up the shite before you see it," Rose said.

"Uh-huh, probably gifts from your mutt and you're just blaming my sweet little chewie-woowie."

"No, I don't think Alice's poo is microscopic but I'm not gonna argue about it. Come on, we need to get over to the house before the party begins."

Alan went over, picked up Speck and kissed her on top of the head.

"I know you're innocent, Speck, but you behave just the same so Rose won't have any cause to blame you."

Rose rolled the eyes as she grabbed the pot and headed towards the door.

An hour later, Hope and Faith were walking through the crowded house while the party was in full swing. Both of them were drinking Coke and listening to the adult's conversation and laughter.

"Grown-ups are strange sometimes," Faith said to Hope as they walked through the crowds of people.

"Yeah, but some of them are cool. Uncle Alan is silly. He makes me laugh. Watch."

They walked up behind Uncle Alan and Hope reached up and pressed the small of his back as if she were pressing a button.

"Beeeeep," she said as she pressed.

Alan paused for a few seconds and then with robotic movements lowered the glass of bitter he had in his hand onto the coffee table. Faith and Hope followed while he walked robotically across the room to the Doctor who was standing and chatting with Grace, Amber and Tara while he sipped a mug of tea. Hope and Faith watched gleefully as Alan came up behind the Doctor, robotically raised his hands and clasped them around the Doctor's neck. The Doctor froze and his eyes bugged out while the women laughed.

"Must…kill…Doctor," Alan said in a robot voice. "Must…choke…Time…Lord."

"Bored again, Brother?" the Doctor said before he took a sip of tea.

"Must…kill…Doctor…children…command…it!"

The Doctor looked down and the women laughed when he rolled his eyes.

"Shoulda known Tweedledee and Tweedledum were behind this," he said to the women.

Hope reached up and pushed the small of his back. Alan blinked and feigned shock when he heard her go beeeeep.

"Where…where am I?" he said, slowing removing his hands from the Doctor's neck. "How did I get over here? Brother, what happened?"

"You were the temporary robot slave of two children," the Doctor said while Hope and Faith giggled.

"I was? Bugger! I need to block my mind to prevent enslavement by children then," Alan said, walking back towards the other side of the room.

"See, Uncle Alan's silly," Hope said to Faith.

"Am I silly as well?" the Doctor said, leaning down and getting in her face.

Hope and Faith looked at each other and hurried away, giggling.

"Well, bang goes that big expensive gift I purchased for them then," the Doctor said to the women while Hope and Faith slowed down, walked around and watched everyone.

After they ate, everyone made the Doctor and Rain sit down on the sofa. Rain and Faith came and sat down beside Rain while everyone else gathered around them.

"Okay," Jack said. "We have something special for both of you. A special DVD we made of past memories and birthday wishes so before you can open the presents you have to watch it."

Everyone laughed when the Doctor gave him a wary look. Jack grinned and everyone parted and walked to the sides of the room while he walked over to the DVD player and turned it on.


	147. Chapter 147

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Seven

Duer sat next to Frankie while they watched the birthday DVD and laughed at some of the crazy messages. Snuggling closer to Frankie, Duer placed his head on her shoulder when he half closed his eyes and sighed.

"_Are you alright, Muppy?" _Delmari thought as he glanced over at his mother and set up a privacy block.

"_Yep, I'm fine," _he thought but his mother knew by looking at him that something was wrong and arched an eyebrow at him. _"Oh, if you must know, I was just thinking about my birthday. I have no idea when it is."_

"_Well, you know as well as I do that Time Lords never bothered with something like birthdays since we don't age like humans do."_

"_It would be nice to have one though. I mean, LOOK at all those PRESENTS!" _Duer thought as he glanced over at the present table and Delmari smiled.

"_Jealous, are we?" _she thought and he smiled at her.

"_Maybe just a little bit," _he thought then looked over at Faith, who was sitting on the floor with Hope and both of them were giggling at something Alan had said on the dvd. _"But my amazing daughter has decided to share her birthday with her good ole daddy!"_

"_Aw, that is so sweet."_

"_Yep, she's a keeper," _Duer thought and lowered the privacy block a bit to send love into Faith's mind. Faith looked back at him as he smiled at her and wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

"Daddy, you're silly!" she said as he gave her a shocked look, slid off the couch, crawled across the floor then snuggled between Faith and Hope.

"Hey, move over!" Hope said as she gently pushed Duer and he shook his head.

"Nope, I am comfy right here!" he said then slid the pillow out from under her and Hope stood up, placed her hands on her hips and looked at the Doctor.

"Daddy, Uncle Duer is in the way! Make him move!" she said and Jack used the remote to pause the dvd.

"But I like the view from down here," Duer said as he looked over at the Doctor and Rain smiled at the Doctor. The Doctor slid to the floor when he crawled to Duer when Duer scooted over and Faith stood up, looking at the Doctor and Duer settling down in front of the holo-television.

"You're right. The view is much better down here," the Doctor said when Alan and Adam looked at each other then grinned, sliding onto the floor.

"Alonzo Arthur Timelord, don't you dare!" Clara said and Delmari looked at Adam, who gave her a blank look.

"Adam David Storm, that goes for you as well," she said and the Doctor and Duer looked over at them.

"What were they going to do, Mum?" the Doctor asked.

"Well, I'm not sure. What is a birthday weggie?" Clara asked and Duer and the Doctor sat up, glaring at their brothers. Standing up, they walked back to their wives and Alan pouted, folding his arms over his chest.

"_And don't even think about giving us a mental weggie either!" _the Doctor thought and Alan stuck his tongue out at him. Faith and Hope returned to their spot in front of the holo-television when Jack hit the play button and Duer snuggled against Frankie.

"_Oh, don't be too hard on them," _Delmari thought as he looked at her and smiled.

"_Was I a naughty little brother like Adam?" _he thought as he set up a privacy block and placed his head on Frankie shoulder.

"_Oh, yes, you were a handful. I can't count the number of time I would hear your brother bellowing for me to get you out of his room."_

"_Well, he had the better toys."_

"_A welding gun is NOT a toy, Muppy!" _she thought as she arched an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes.

"_I told him that I was sorry when I welded his shoes to the floor."_

"_He was wearing them at the time!"_ she thought and Duer happen to laugh loudly at something at the screen and Adam looked over at him.

"It wasn't that funny," he said and Duer shrugged.

"Sorry, I was just thinking of something I did when I was a kid," he said when Jack hit the pause button and they looked at Duer.

"What did you do, Daddy?" Faith asked and Duer sighed, feeling like he was two inches tall.

"Well, when I was five or six years old, I took my brother's welding gun and welded his shoes to the floor," Duer said and Donna frowned.

"That's not funny," she said.

"He was wearing them at the time," Duer said and Adam, John and Alan's mouth fell open.

"Are you serious?" John asked.

"Yep," Duer said, popping the "p".

"But why would you want to do that for?" Rain asked.

"I was bored and he called me a wormhole."

"And he didn't know what you were doing?" Marion asked.

"Nope, he was working one of his experiments and whatever he was using stunk worse than melting leather."

"And he didn't notice that his feet were getting warmer?" Jack asked and Duer shook his head.

"What did he do when he found out?" Amato asked.

"He screamed like a girl and threatened to kill me," Duer said then looked over at Adam and Alan. "No, don't even think it."

"The thought never crossed my mind," Adam said but Alan tapped the tip of his finger against his lips and the Doctor growled.

"No," he said and Alan snapped his fingers and pouted. Duer smiled when Jack hit the play button and they watched the dvd.

"_I wish my brother could see me now," _Duer thought as he set the privacy block up again and Delmari sighed, brushing some hair out of her eyes.

"_He wouldn't approve of any of this," _she said as he looked with his eyes around the room at the others and knew that she was right. His brother was too much like their…

"_No, Rassilon wasn't my father!" _Duer thought as anger filled his mind and she hushed him, sending love into his mind. _"Sorry, it still bothers me that I was raised by an abusive bastard."_

"_Then focus on the fact that you're the older brother now and your little brother is sitting right over there," _she thought and Duer looked over at Adam, who had gotten off the floor and was placing some food on a paper plate. Adam turned his head as he looked over at Duer and smiled at him.

"_You're right. I couldn't ask for a better little brother," _Duer said, nodding his head at Adam. _"It still hurts to think that I was nothing more than an experiment to Rassilon."_

"_Do you remember what I told you about having you growing inside me?"_

"_You said that it was the most thrilling thing you ever experienced," _he thought then sighed, glancing over at Frankie and thought of the pain that she went through giving birth to Cameron and Faith. _"I am so sorry."_

"_What do you have to be sorry for?"_

"_I'm sorry for all the pain that I caused when you gave birth to me," _he thought and she softly laughed in his mind.

"_It was painful, but it faded after awhile. I still think it was funny that the first thing you thought was that you hungry and I ate all those bananas," _she thought and he rolled his eyes, smiling.

"_What did I look like as a baby?" _Duer thought when she sent an image of a round face baby with a head of thick blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked at the small button nose and the dimples when the baby smile and how the tiny fingers moved in and out. He then saw Delmari holding the baby and singing to him in Gallifreyan while slowly rocking the baby.

"_You were so easy to put to sleep," _she thought and he smiled. _"Unlike your brother, he took hours to put to sleep."_

"_But I thought he was raised in the nursery."_

"_Yes, he was and would cry for hours until he fell asleep."_

"_That's because he had no physical contact with you. Frankie and I held and rocked both Cameron and Faith. It gives them a sense of security, knowing that someone was there to hold them when they are sick, scared or tired."_

"_That is exactly why I used to hold and rock you," _Delmari thought and he smiled.

"_I still can't believe that you went to the council when I was going to be exiled in my second life."_

"_Well, no one messes with my muppy!" _she thought and he softly laughed in her mind.

"_I wish I had brought Wooba with me. Faith would have loved him," _Duer thought as a purple, fuzzy toy with big red eyes and wires sticking out of the top appeared in their heads and he tapped the light purple pom-poms, making the pom-poms made a jingling sound.

"_You could always have the TARDIS make her one."_

"_Hmm…I think I just figured out a __Christmas present__ for her and the other girls," _he thought and Faith gave him a smile when she turned and looked at him. Delmari looked at them when she sighed and he could sense the sadness in her mind. _"What's wrong?"_

"_I was just thinking about Pandor," _she thought and he blinked. Pandor was his real father and he had died saving Duer's life.

"_Did he…Did Pandor ever hold me when I was a baby?"_ he thought and Pandor appeared in his mind, holding a baby. Duer could see it was him as a baby as Pandor gently rocked the baby and was whispering something to him in Gallifreyan. _"What is he saying?"_

"_He's telling you how much he loves you. You were his __pride and joy__ and he would have loved to had been the one that took you to the academy but…" _Delmari thought then sighed and he sent love into her mind. He frowned when he heard a soft knocking sound inside his head and blinked.

"_Do you hear a knocking sound?" _he thought then looked over at Adam and Adam looked at him with wide eyes. Lowering the privacy block, they saw Adam appearing in their heads and he fold his arms over his chest then glared at them, arching one eyebrow.

"_Ok, what are you two talking about? I know that watching Rainy Painy's baby pictures is boring…" _he thought, setting the privacy block back up and Duer rolled his eyes.

"_We were talking about me not knowing when my birthday is and how lucky I am that I've got you for a brother," _Duer thought and Adam grinned.

"_Well, I didn't have one either, you know. I had to pick a day and, funny enough, it turned out to be the same day my friend, David, was born" _Adam said, referring to his best friend from his old universe. _"As for being lucky, I'm the lucky one! I couldn't ask for a better older brother!"_

"_And I couldn't ask for better sons," _Delmari thought as they hugged her inside her mind then Adam let the privacy block down and left their minds. Getting up, Duer and Adam went to sit on the other couch next to Delamari as she kissed their cheeks and they went back to watching the dvd.


	148. Chapter 148

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Eight

The first thing the Doctor saw when the DVD started was a little girl that resembled Hope, only slightly darker. She was sitting in a bathtub filled with bubble bath, splashing and laughing. He quickly deduced who it was when Rain groaned and muttered, Oh Lord, to herself.

"Hi!" Young Rain said as she waved at the camera.

"Hello, my Rainshower, what are you doing?" John said as he filmed her.

"Taking a bath," Rain said as she gave him a big grin.

"When was this, love?" the Doctor asked his wife.

"Um…when I was three, I think. My dad borrowed a video camera from a friend and taped me and Amber doing things along with some other stuff," she said. "I had no idea he was gonna do this."

The Doctor was intrigued. He had seen flashes of memories of Rain as a young child during their memory sharing but it still enchanted him seeing her so young and innocent.

Then the footage switched to his wife as a five year old girl. She was dressed in a black and red Navajo dress. Beside her was a taller girl that the Doctor surmised was Amber. She was dressed in a black and yellow Navajo dress.

"Okay, girls," John said as he filmed them. "Do something for the camera."

Amber waved but the Doctor snickered when his wife began to dance around in a circle and clap her hands while she sang. He glanced at Rain and put his arm around her when he saw her red face. Hope and Faith giggled and slid to the floor, grabbing their Cokes as they walked closer to the TV and lay down on their stomachs. The next piece of footage was Rain as a nine year old girl. She was standing in a school gymnasium holding a certificate and a trophy up to the camera while she grinned for her father.

"What was this, love?" the Doctor asked.

Rain was about to answer when suddenly a caption came on the screen under her face.

RAIN. COCHISE ELEMENTARY SPELLING BEE CHAMPION AT AGE NINE. SEE! SHE'S JUST AS SMART AS HER HUSBAND.

Everyone laughed while Rain blushed again.

"You never told me were you spelling bee champion, Latara. I'm impressed!" the Doctor teased. "Now if I need to spell something, I'll know who to rely on."

"Geez, Dad, you had to drag out all this old footage just to embarrass me," Rain said to her father.

"I'm proud of you, Rainshower, I just wanted your family to see how special you are, even back then."

The Doctor was about to say something when the footage shifted to Jack's smiling face. He looked slightly younger than he is now and he stared at it in confusion until he turned the camera towards Rose and he realized that Rose looked the way she did when she traveled with him in his ninth life.

"This is Rose," Jack was whispering. "And for the record, she came up with this prank."

"Shhh," Rose said, putting her finger to her lips. "Don't wake him up. Come on."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow and eyed Rose as she and Jack stood nearby and nudged each other. The Doctor turned his attention back to the DVD and watched as Rose beckoned to Jack behind the camera. They tiptoed towards the console and when they reached the other side, the Doctor saw his ninth self sitting on the jump seat, arms folded over his chest while he took a deep restoring nap. He stared at the footage in shock, watching while Rose took a tube of lipstick out of her jean's pocket, took off the cap and used the red lipstick to write GEEK directly on his forehead.

"I KNEW IT!" the Doctor said while Rose and Jack howled with laughter. "I knew it was you, Rose, even when you denied doing that!"

"I decided to finally admit to my guilt, Doctor," Rose told him. "I figured if I didn't, you'd go to your grave wondering who did it."

"No…actually, I forgot that happened…until now…and now, I think I'll kill you and Jack and give myself a birthday present," he said while everyone laughed.

Rose shrugged and put her tongue between her teeth while Jack patted her on the shoulder and moved away. The Doctor turned his attention back to the footage and saw photos of Rain as a baby and a young girl. By the time they were finished, he was on his stomach beside his daughter along with Duer, Alan and Adam. The next bit after the baby and child photos was another caption.

AND NOW A PERFORMANCE PIECE FROM ALAN TIMELORD.

The caption was replaced by Alan sitting in bubble bath. The Doctor's eyes bugged out and everyone except Rain laughed when Alan began imitating Rain playing in the bathtub. Then he and Adam played the parts of Rain and Amber, both of them in drag wearing dresses identical to the ones that Rain and Amber wore in the footage. Rain cracked a smile when Alan imitated her dancing around, clapping and singing while Adam spun his finger around his head and pointed to Alan. Then they saw a smiling Alan holding up a certificate and trophy for the camera.

ALAN TIMELORD WINS MOST STUDLY AT THE TIME LORD ACADEMY!

"I did it! I win!" Alan said while everyone laughed.

Then the next bit was Alan standing close to the camera wearing a red jumper and a black jacket with GEEK written across his forehead in red lipstick.

"ROOOOOS-AH!" he bellowed.

Then the screen faded to black and FIN came up.

"Wow, that was really pointless, Bro," Rain said while everyone laughed.

The next segment began with the Doctor and Rain's children standing together. All of them waved for the camera and the Doctor and Rain smiled when they yelled out HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MUM AND DAD.

"I think I speak for everyone, Father, when I say that we're truly honored to be your children," Emi said.

"Yeah, you are the best Mum and Dad in the world!" Namid added.

"Sometimes," Hope said to the camera.

"Sometimes?" Alan said as he filmed her and everyone looked down at her. "What do you mean, Hopey-Hope?"

Hope came up to Alan's feet and he aimed the camera down at her.

"One time I wanted a pony and Daddy said no, so sometimes he's not the best daddy in the world," Hope said.

"Well, poor little you," the real Doctor said to his daughter as everyone in the house laughed. "I'm sorry I was such a bastard for not giving you a pony."

The next bit of footage was John, Wilf, Tim, Linus and Samuel. They all waved at the camera and yelled Happy Birthday while Alan stood in their yard and filmed them. Then suddenly, Hope's face peeked up over the stone porch wall.

"I want my pony, Daddy," she said.

The Doctor eyed Hope as she and everyone else laughed. Next was Adam, Duer, Shilah, Jack, John and Amato.

"Happy birthday from your brothers!" they yelled.

Then the camera panned down to Hope who was standing in front of them.

"Want a pony, Daddy!" she squealed.

"NO!" the real Doctor yelled at Hope while everyone laughed.

Next was Mingxia, Marion, Frankie, Peri and Rosie. They said their happy birthdays and then parted to show Hope standing behind them.

"PONY!" Hope yelled.

The Doctor threw up his hands while everyone laughed.

Then suddenly they heard seductive music and the Doctor's eyes bulged when the footage shifted to Rose wearing a purple nightie as she lay under the covers in her bed.

"Hello…Doctor," she said in a seductive voice. "Remember me? We used to have a relationship but you decided to chuck me out of the TARDIS. And now…"

They saw a picture of Alan grinning a wolfish grin and the word SHE'S MINE, FINDERS, KEEPERS flashing underneath his face. Everyone laughed when it cut back to Rose in the bed.

"Yes, if you played your cards differently, it could have been our birthday today but…"

It cut back to the photo of Alan with FINDERS, KEEPERS flashing under him.

"You have her, mate, I'm satisfied!" the real Doctor said to Alan.

Then it cut back to Rose and suddenly Hope rose up and stared at the camera.

"Poneeeee," she said.

"Is my pony coveting daughter in every shot then?" the Doctor asked as everyone laughed hysterically.

Then it shifted to Torchwood. Everyone except Jack waved to him and said happy birthday but behind them, sitting on the sofa, Hope was yelling out PONY while they said their happy birthdays. Then it cut to Julie, Koschei and Aderyn. Julie and Koschei wished him happy birthday, then the camera panned down to Aderyn and Hope.

"WE WANT PONIES!" both children said.

By this time, Faith, Hope and Aderyn were all laughing uncontrollably while the Doctor eyed Hope and poked her side.

"So…I'm beginning to think that Hope is playing a very poor version of Where's Wally then?" the Doctor said to everyone while Hope laughed and snuggled up against him. The next person was Sarah Jane sitting at the computer in the study in her house on Bannerman Road.

"Doctor, Rain, I just want to say how chuffed I am that I'm around to see another birthday and share it with you. I love you both so very much and now, here's the rest of the family…"

She gestured off to her left and Alan panned over to the right and they saw Peter, Luke, Rani, Clyde and Hope.

"PONIES!" everyone yelled as they waved.

Everyone in the Doctor's house laughed as the Doctor banged his forehead on the floor four times before he nudged Hope.

Then they saw Hope sitting on a brown pony on a ranch somewhere. In the distance were mesas and the little pony was tied up to a fence in front of it.

"I WANT THIS ONE, DADDY!" Hope squealed as she pointed down to it.

"NO!" the Doctor yelled out as everyone laughed.

They watched while everyone else gave their birthday wishes, each time Hope in the shot in some way yelling that she wanted a pony. When it was finally over, the Doctor looked at Alan.

"When did this whole film my daughter yelling out pony thing happen?" he asked.

"Remember last Tuesday when I told ya I'd take her to the park," Alan said. "I took her on a very, very long outing. Course we had to bribe her with a film and some buttered popcorn and Coke and some licorice whips but it was worth it. Then we brought her a dolly to bribe her into silence."

"It worked. She never breathed a word about it to me or to Rain," The Doctor said.

"Yeah, it's nice to know she can keep a secret," Rain said as Hope walked over to her and embraced her.

"Yes, she's quite a little angel," Alan said. "But…now that we've shown you your birthday DVD and made sure you heard everyone's birthday wishes. Now…it's time for your gifts!"


	149. Chapter 149

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Nine

"Whoa, will you look at all those gifts, Latara!" the Doctor said as they walked toward the table that was stacked with brightly wrapped presents and Rain smiled. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she opened the presents that he had bought her and took her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers.

"Can I help you open them, Daddy?" Hope asked as he looked down at her with wide eyes and she giggled.

"No, I am perfectly capable of opening my own presents!" he said, giving her a smug look.

"You better let her help, Brother. We don't want you to regenerate from a paper cut," Alan said and the Doctor's eyes went wide.

"You know as well as I do that wouldn't happen!"

"Are you sure? Some paper cuts can be nasty," Adam said.

"Yeah, let's get you some safety gloves just in case," Tara said and the Doctor gave her a shocked look.

"Who asked you?" the Doctor asked and Tara laughed.

"I'm just saying," she said as she held her hands up and the Doctor growled.

"Is there anyone else that thinks I need help opening these gifts?" he asked when everyone raised their hands and he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Well, I am going to open them and risk it!"

"Good for you, Brother," Duer said with a smile. "But, if it were me, I wouldn't risk it."

"Yeah, I like you looking like this," Frankie said as she kissed Duer's lips and Faith scrunched her face, making little gagging sounds.

"Ew, Daddy, that's gross," Faith said then yelped when he tickled her under her armpits and she wiggled free, running behind Adam's legs. She peeked out at Duer while Duer wiggled his fingers at her and she giggled.

"Maybe we should let the TARDIS open them. That way he wouldn't have to worry about getting a paper cut," Namid said as they laughed and the Doctor growled, balling his hands into fists.

"Enough!" the Doctor said then looked at Rain and smiled. "Um, why don't you open one first?"

"Oh, right, let me be the one that regenerates from a paper cut. Thank a lot," Rain said as he kissed her cheek and she rolled her eyes.

Smiling, Adam looked over at Duer while Rain started opening one of the gifts and Adam tilted his head to one side. Duer had been laughing at the dvd like everyone else but he knew that his big brother was still sad about something. Holding up a finger to Marion, Adam walked over to Duer and looked at him with his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

"Why are you looking at me like that for?" Duer whispered while Rain started opening the box she had unwrapped and she smiled.

"I am looking at that little rain cloud over your head," Adam whispered as he put up a privacy block then sent a cartoon image of Duer with a dark cartoon cloud over his head and the rain fell around him. Arching an eyebrow, Cartoon Duer looked at them then pulled out a cartoon umbrella and opened the umbrella, placing it over his head.

"I do not have a gloomy cloud over my head," Cartoon Duer said as Cartoon Adam appeared and gave him a blank look.

"Then why are you so sad?"

"It's not sadness as it is awe. I never thought in all my lives that any of this would have happened. I always thought that I would end up alone. When I look at all this, it overwhelms me."

"Yeah, it overwhelmed me at the beginning, too. I think back to when you left us on that beach and I was sure that I was going to be abandoned and left on my own. I didn't know if Rose, uh, Marion wanted me or would accept me. I wasn't the man she fell in love with and thought she would be better off without me."

"Did you ever think about running away?"

"Oh yeah, tons of times, but I could never bring myself to go. Where would I go if I did? I had no money or friends to go to. I didn't have any skills that were mine. They were yours."

"Oh, really, which one of us is the writer in the family?" Cartoon Duer asked and Cartoon Adam smiled then blew on his knuckles, rubbing his knuckles on his chest.

"Yeah, well, I had to do something to escape or I would have gone mad," Cartoon Adam sighed and Cartoon Duer nodded.

"What Pete did wasn't your fault," Duer whispered and Adam half smiled at him when Faith walked to Duer and pulled on his fingers. Duer knelt down as she placed her hands on the sides of his face and tiled his head side to side.

"I want a pony," she said as he softly laughed and picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"You want a pony?" he asked when the Doctor stopped opening his present and looked at them.

"If she gets one then I get one!" Hope said as she placed her hands on her hips and everyone laughed.

"I want a pony, too, Baba," Aderyn said and Koschei sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Can I have a pony, too, Daddy?" Moira asked and Hamish sighed, rubbing his thumbs on his wooden stick.

"I had a pony," Moira's sister, Zoe, said and Faith, Hope, Moira and Aderyn looked at their fathers.

"Ye had tae go an' say that, eh, nighean?" Hamish asked and nighean was Gaelic for daughter.

"Here's an idea," Frazer said and the girls looked at him. "As you ken, we do have ponies at the zoo for the kids to ride on, but what you didnae ken is that four new ponies arrived this morning from Earth. Anyway, they dinnae have ayone tae take care of them so, if you promise tae take good care of them, they're yours."

"Can we do that, Daddy?" Hope asked with wide eyes and Faith, Aderyn and Moira looked at Duer, Koschei and Hamish. The Doctor wiggled his finger as Koschei, Duer and Hamish walked to him and they huddled together, placing their heads together.

"Well?" he asked as they looked at each other and Duer smiled.

"If it will stop them asking for one then I say yes," Duer said.

"Yeah, I think it's a good idea," Koschei said.

"Aye, I did promise Moira that she could have a pony when she was of age," Hamish said as they moved back and the Doctor stood in front of them with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Do I have your word that you will do whatever Frazer tells you and be gentle with the ponies?" he asked and the girls nodded their heads with wide eyes. "Well, ok, you can have a pony!"

"Yay!" the girls shouted then ran to their fathers and Hope kissed the Doctor's cheek after he, Duer, Hamish and Koschei knelt down on the floor.

"You are the best daddy in the whole universe!" Hope said as the Doctor smiled and hugged her. Letting go, the Doctor stood up then nodded at Frazer and the girls ran to him, hugging Frazer after he knelt on the floor. The Doctor went back to the presents as Duer shrugged and held Faith against his hip.

"Still see a gloomy cloud over my head?" Duer whispered to Adam then set up a privacy block and Adam saw the cartoon Duer walking around his head in a rain coat and rubber boots, twirling the umbrella over his head. Cartoon Duer was whistling "Singing in the Rain" as he dancing around and splashed in the puddles.

"No, I don't," Cartoon Adam whispered as the cartoon cloud vanished and the cartoon sky turned bright blue with a cartoon sun and little cartoon birds flying across the sky. Cartoon Duer closed the umbrella when he took off the cartoon boots and rain coat and placing everything on the ground. He wiggled his finger at Cartoon Adam and looked at the puddles spread out around them. "Hmm, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"How old are you?" Cartoon Duer asked while scrunching up his face and Cartoon Adam wiggled his eyebrows up and down. Taking a running start, Cartoon Adam jumped into the air then landed in a big puddle and the water flew into the air. Shaking the water out of his hair, Cartoon Adam did a bow while Cartoon Duer clapped and Cartoon Adam pointed with his hands toward one of the puddles. Laughing, Cartoon Duer ran then jumped into the air and landed in a large puddle. Water soared into the air as they laughed and jumped from one puddle to the other then Cartoon Adam stopped, looking up at the sky. "What's wrong?"

"Do you hear knocking?" Cartoon Adam asked as they stood still and a low knocking sound filled the air. Lowering the privacy block, they watched as a cartoon Alan walked toward them and he folded his arms over his chest then tapped his foot.

"Right, this is the second time you two were being quiet. Mind telling me what's going on?" Cartoon Alan asked and Cartoon Duer smiled while looking at Cartoon Adam.

"Oh, we were just doing this," Cartoon Duer said then ran and jumped into the air, heading toward the large puddle in front of Cartoon Alan. Cartoon Alan gasped as the cold water hit him in the face and Cartoon Adam fell to the ground, laughing.

"Revenge!" Cartoon Alan shouted as he ran toward a large puddle then jumped into the air but sank up to his waist in the water after landing in the puddle and looked down at the water. "Oh, that's not fair!"

"Are you stuck?" Cartoon Adam asked as he walked toward the puddle and knelt down on his haunches.

"Yes!" Cartoon Alan shouted then his eyes went wide when he saw a cartoon shark fin popping up from under the water and the theme from Jaws filled the air. Cartoon Duer and Cartoon Adam laughed as Cartoon Alan scampered out of the water, hid behind Cartoon Adam then noticed bubbles coming from under the water. A snorkel appeared when the Cartoon Doctor stood up and had the fin strapped to his back. "Oh ha-ha!"

"Can we go back to me and Rain opening our presents now?" the Cartoon Doctor asked as Cartoon Duer and Cartoon Adam nodded and the Cartoon Doctor dived back into puddle and the fin sunk into the water. Cartoon Alan pouted when Cartoon Adam walked closer and handed him a cartoon towel.

"Sorry about that," Cartoon Adam said as Cartoon Alan sighed, shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"That's ok," Cartoon Alan said then twirled the cartoon towel and snapped it, hitting Cartoon Adam on the bottom.

"Oh, you are so asking for it!" Cartoon Adam said as Cartoon Alan laughed then ran off and Cartoon Adam chased after him.

"Kids. They are both big kids," Duer whispered then went back to watching Rain and the Doctor opening their presents and the Doctor looked at him. Smiling, the Doctor nodded and Duer smiled back, gently stroking the top of Faith's head.


	150. Chapter 150

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty

The Doctor frowned when he opened a flat rectangular package and then looked at it. It looked like a blue blanket. He read the name on the package.

"Snugee?" he said.

"Yeah, I've heard about those. They're blankets you can wear. They have sleeves in them so you can read or do other things and still be warm," Rain said.

He looked at Amber.

"Where did you find this. That's a brilliant idea!" he said to her.

Amber shrugged.

"Dad and me went back down to visit a friend of mine and we went shopping afterwards at Wal-Mart and I saw that and figured you might like it," she said.

The Doctor opened the package, took it out and put it on. He wrapped it around him after putting his arms through the sleeves and stood there for a moment wrapped in the blue blanket. Then he walked over to Amber, kissed her forehead and walked back.

"This is brilliant," he said while everyone laughed. "I'm nice and toasty warm now. So…what's next?"

He beckoned to Rain and when she came to him, he positioned her in front of him, stepped up behind her and encircled his arms around her.

"Mmmm, this is nice," Rain said as everyone laughed.

The Doctor looked down when Hope lifted up the end of the blanket and stood just inside it.

"Oi, get out, you," the Doctor said, lightly slapping the bulge she made while she giggled.

While he was doing that, Rain grabbed another gift and opened it. She laughed when she saw a purple Snugee.

"No! How dare you get her one!" the Doctor said to Amber. "I wanted to be the one in control of the Snugee."

"Don't you mean, the Snugee Lord?" Rain said.

"Yes! Exactly, the Snugee Lord," the Doctor said while they laughed.

Rain picked up the next present and opened it. It was a tiny blue box and when she opened it, she pulled out a new green Duncan Butterfly yo-yo. The Doctor's eyes lit up with delight and he took it from her while Hope peeked out from the Snugee and looked up with interest on her face. The Doctor turned his nose up at her and tried to put it in his pocket and feigned confusion when he couldn't find the pocket through the blanket. He shrugged and gave it to his daughter. She played with it while Rain picked up the next present. Opening it up, she noticed it was a horse plushie. On the side of it was pinned a note that said, PONY! Everyone laughed when Rain shook her head and the Doctor chuckled. She looked down at Hope who was looking at the horse and handed it to her.

"Hey, how come our kid is getting all our gifts now?" the Doctor said.

"Because I need my hands free to open these gifts, dear," Rain said.

"Well, good luck getting the gifts back from Hope when you're through opening everything," the Doctor replied.

After a half hour, the gifts were all unwrapped. Everything from glassware to blankets to cards with gift cards in them and jewelry for Rain. Finally, they reached the last gift from Alan.

"Let me guess, it's another pony plushie or something pertaining to ponies," the Doctor said as he held Rain from behind and stared over her shoulder.

"No, why would you think that?" Alan said as he stood nearby.

"Because we know you all too well, Bro," Raid said, glancing at him before she tore open the package.

It was a large brown box. The Doctor held it in front of her while she opened the top. She saw a white t-shirt.

"Um…thanks," Rain said, taking it out.

She noticed another larger t-shirt under it and she unfolded the one in her hand while the Doctor held the box. The moment she saw the front, she and the Doctor stared at it in silence. There was a huge head shot of Alan's head and he had a maniacal look on his face while the words BELOVED BROTHER were underneath it in bloody red letters. Rain raised her eyebrow and turned it around to show everyone. Alan snickered when everyone laughed.

"And Brother's t-shirt is the same way. I thought you might like to proudly wear me on your chest and let the world know that I'm your favorite brother," Alan said.

"Well, we could use it as a dart board, dear," Rain said to the Doctor.

"Or use it as a rag to clean the kitchen."

Everyone laughed when Alan flipped them up. Rain was about to put the shirt back in the box when Alan cleared his throat.

"There's more. I did think to put something else in there besides the gag gifts," he said to them.

Rain took out the other shirt and noticed a photo album at the bottom. It was black leather with HAPPY MEMORIES on the front in gold lettering. The Doctor set the box down on the end of the table and Rain put the shirts back in when she pulled the album out. She opened it and noticed Alan had written something on the inside cover.

It was so long ago but I felt the need to include a photo album containing photos of our first road trip together as a reminder of our beginnings and how far we've come since then. I love you both and I hope this reminds you how blessed both of you are. May we have many more road trips to come.

Love always,

Alan and Rose.

Both Rain and the Doctor embraced him and Rose and thanked them.

"You're muchly welcome. Now…wear the shirts, I command you!" Alan said while everyone laughed.

The Doctor snatched his up and hurried up the stairs. Everyone howled with laughter when he came down a few minutes later wearing his.

"There, I'm brave enough to do it!" the Doctor said, pointing to Alan's face.

"Gee, you make it sound like it's a chore to wear that shirt," Alan said, feigning anger.

The Doctor chuckled and embraced him. He sent love into his brother's mind before everyone turned away from the gift table and went back to eating and chatting.

"Phew," Rain said after the last guest left and it was just her, the Doctor and Hope. "These parties take a lot out of me. I'm glad we don't do this every day. I think we'd regenerate way before our time."

She turned and stared at the t-shirt the Doctor was wearing.

"Yeah, that's the perfect expression for him," she said, pointing to Alan's maniacal look. "I think I'll burn mine rather than wear it."

"Nah, we'll wear it one day for a laugh. You and me with our t-shirts on as we go down the street," the Doctor said. "But for now, why don't all of us have a kip, recharge our batteries."

"I'm for that but…"

Rain pointed to Hope who was standing nearby, holding the horse in her hands.

"I don't wanna go to sleep," she whined.

"Okay, stay down here then!" the Doctor said, running to the stairs. "Last one up the stairs is an ugly dalek!"

Rain took Hope's hand and they ran up the stairs after them. The Doctor looked over his shoulder as he hit the top step.

"Ooops, you're both ugly daleks, I s'pose. Ah well, follow me!" he yelled as he ran towards his bedroom.

They followed him inside and Rain stopped short when she saw the bed.

"Happy birthday," the Doctor said to her as he gestured to the gifts. "And thank you, my darling, for not telling your mum about these."

"You knew and you didn't tell me?" Rain said to Hope.

"No, Daddy said not to tell."

Rain kissed her cheek and walked towards the bed. Hope followed her, curious about what the gifts were. She picked up the jewery box, opened it and gasped when she saw a silver bracelet with purple gems embedded around it. She pulled it out and showed it to Hope who ooed at it.

"It's Bronzinium. The rarest gem on Vernus Minor," the Doctor said to her. "It costs a fortune but I have a friend there that owns a jewelry shop and he gave that to me for you."

"Thank you," Rain said, kissing his cheek.

She opened the second gift and pulled out a black fur stole.

"The fur of the Banthock, another rare animal from Zanthus Eleven. I have another friend that got me that for you," the Doctor said as she wrapped the stole around her and ran her hand down it. "Course you're worth more than the rarest gems or furs or all the money in the universe but I like a bit of bling and fur on my woman."

Rain giggled and kissed his cheek. The Doctor nodded and smiled and held out his hand.

"Gift?" he said.

"Come on, love, time for your bath," Rain said, taking Hope's hand.

Hope looked back and giggled at the annoyed look on the Doctor's face. Rain paused at the door and winked.

"I have a couple of gifts in mind for you but we have to go off planet to get them, so be patient and you'll get your birthday gifts too. Okay?"

"Oh…I s'pose," the Doctor said, pouting.

Rain and Hope came back and gave him kisses. The Doctor accepted them with a smile and hugged them back. He put the bracelet on Rain's right wrist, gave her another kiss and took both her and Hope's hands before all of them walked out of the bedroom.


	151. Chapter 151

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty One

"AH!" Faith screamed as Duer ran up the stairs and down the hallway. He found her standing in the doorway of her brother's room and Cameron was lying on the bed, watching a DVD.

"Why is she screaming?" Duer demanded as Cameron hit the pause button and sat up, placing the pillow behind him.

"I don't know. She came in here and…" Cameron said as Faith held onto Duer's leg and buried her face against his hip. Duer gently got her to let go of his leg when he knelt down and saw the large tears dribbling down her cheeks.

"What scared you, Butterfly?" Duer asked as she pointed at the holo-television and he stood up, walking to see what was on the screen. His eyes went wide when he saw what looked like a doll with a drill on the top of its head and it was boring into a man's forehead. Growling, he turned around then looked at Cameron and Cameron gave him a puzzled look. "Where did you get this?"

"Christopher gave it to me. How was I supposed to know that she was going to come in and see that?" Cameron asked as Duer wiggled his finger at him and Cameron gently tossed him the remote control. Duer hit the stop button then ejected the DVD and placed it in the DVD case. PUPPET MASTER was on the front as he slid the DVD case into his pocket and Cameron slumped on the bed, crossing his arms over his chest. "This is so unfair!"

"Look, I know you're old enough to watch this, but you have to remember that you have a little sister who…" Duer said and Cameron growled, glaring at Faith.

"Yeah, I know, she's too little to see things like that. Blimey, things were so much better before she came along." Cameron grumbled as Faith sniffed then ran out of the room and Duer glared at him. "Dad, I didn't mean it. I swear!"

"I know you didn't," Duer said as he walked to the bed and sat down.

"I am sorry," Cameron said.

"It's not me that you have to say sorry to," Duer said and Cameron sighed, nodding his head.

"Do you think she'll forgive me?"

"Yeah, I think she will."

"Want me to go get her?" he asked and Duer shook his head then stood up.

"I'll go get her," Duer said then headed for the door, leaving the room. He walked to her bedroom door when he knocked then opened the door and looked to see if Faith was in there. "Butterfly, are you in here?"

"What's going on?" Frankie said as she came up the stairs and he turned, looking at her then scratched the back of his neck.

"Faith walked into Cameron's room while he was watching this," he said, taking the DVD case out of his pocket then handed her the DVD case.

"Where did he get this?"

"Christopher gave it to him," he said and she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I told him not to bring things like this into the house because of Faith."

"That's what I told him and he said things were better before Faith came," he said and Frankie's eyes grew dark.

"Oh really?" she said as she headed for Cameron's room but Duer gently grabbed hold of her arm and she looked at him.

"He can wait. I need to see if Faith is alright," he said while they walked into Faith's bedroom but there was no sign of her. They searched the wardrobe, the toy box, the play tent and under the bed when Duer noticed that her teddy bear, Mumble Bumble, and Elby, the chibi of Duer's eleventh life, were also missing and he blinked. "Where are Elby and Mumble Bumble?"

"They're missing, too?"

"It seems that our little butterfly has flown the coop," he said as she walked to him and he wrapped his arms around her. Half closing his eyes, he tried to contact Faith but couldn't sense her and pulled Adam's mind forward.

"_Hello, Big Brother," _Adam thought then felt the concern in Duer's mind and Duer sighed. _"What happened?"_

"_Faith is missing," _Duer thought when Adam appeared inside his mind and blinked a few times.

"_What?"_ Adam thought and Duer told him what happened. _"And you can't sense her?"_

"_No, it may be because she's very upset and set up a privacy block or…."_

"_Don't finish that thought," _Alan thought when he appeared in Duer's mind and had on a Sherlock Holmes hat with a bubble pipe clenched in his teeth. _"Well, Watson, will you accompany me in finding our wayward waif?"_

"_Hey, I don't want to be Watson. I want to be Sherlock Holmes,_" Adam thought and Alan blew a few bubbles, the bubbles dribbling onto the ground at their feet.

"_You were Sherlock Holmes the last time."_

"_No, you were and I have the proof!" _Adam thought when he brought out a notebook and opened it, flipping through the pages. He pointed at one page as Alan looked at it and blew some more bubbles.

"_Ah, but you were Holmes three times before that and we agreed that I would have a free turn," _Alan thought.

"_But you had your free turn," _Adam thought, tapping on the page and they started arguing. Duer sighed when he moved their mind away and Frankie looked at him with concern in her eyes.

"What do we do now?" Frankie asked as he sighed then looked at the doorway and saw Cameron standing there.

"We're going to go find Faith. If we can't find her by sunset then I'll contact the others and we'll widen the serach," Duer said as he walked to the door and Cameron stood back, allowing him to leave the room. Frankie followed Duer down the stairs as Cameron watched them head for the front door then sighed, going back to his room.

Faith sat against the rock while Elby finished setting up the small tent and unrolled the small sleeping bag. Mumble Bumble sat next to Faith as she wiped the tears from her eyes and pouted.

"Do you think they know I'm gone yet?" she asked Elby and Elby shrugged its shoulders.

"Oh, yeah, they know," a voice said as she jumped and Elby ran into the tent then came out wearing a toy helmet and armor and was holding onto a toy sword. "Elby, it's me."

Faith watched as Cameron came closer and he folded his arms over his chest. She could see the anger in his eyes as he tapped his foot then sighed and rolled his eyes, walking toward her then sat down on the ground.

"How did you find me?" she asked, holding Mumble Bumble to her chest.

"It was simple really. One, you didn't take a change of clothes or food. Two, the front and back doors were still locked. Three, you're not allowed to cross the street by yourself. So, the only logical place for you to hide was in Dad's TARDIS. What I don't understand is why you ran away," he said and she pouted, placing her chin on the top of Mumble Bumble's head.

"You don't love me anymore," she said and Cameron felt his hearts hurting.

"I never said that!" he said with wide eyes.

"You said things were better before I came," she said and he sighed, scooted closer but stopped as Elby waved the toy sword at him. "He won't let you hurt me."

"Why would I want to do that? You're my sister!" Cameron said and felt the tears in the corners of his eyes.

"But you don't want me!"

"Again, I never said…" Cameron said then got up and walked toward the tree. The tears rolled down his cheeks as he lowered his head and she looked at him. He slowly slid to the ground as he placed his head down and his body was shaking.

"Cammie?" she asked then placed Mumble Bumble on the ground, stood up and walked to him. Cameron placed his face in his hands as she looked at him and stroked his hair.

"I am s-s-so sorry," he sobbed as she moved his hands away and he lifted his head. Tears streamed down his face as he wiped his eyes with his knuckles and sniffed. "I would n-never hurt you. I was just mad that Dad wouldn't let me watch that movie"

"But that dolly was hurting that man," Faith said as Cameron took out a handkerchief from his pocket and blew his nose.

"Yeah, it was," Cameron sighed and straightened his legs out so she could sit on his lap. Elby walked closer when Cameron looked at it and gently picked Elby up, holding it in his hands.

"Why was the dolly doing that?" Faith asked as she took Elby from him and Cameron smiled, wiping his nose with the handkerchief.

"It was made to kill," Cameron said and Elby's eyes went wide. Elby made little meeping sound then shook its head and Cameron smiled. "Yeah, I know that neither you nor the other chibis would kill anyone, but these dolls were built for revenge."

"But why would someone do that?" Faith asked.

"I don't know. Some people are just weird," Cameron said.

"Well, I am still mad at you. You said mean words," Faith said as Cameron looked at her and sighed.

"And what do I have to do to make you not mad at me anymore?" he asked and she sat back on his legs and thought for a few minutes. Smiling, she wiggled her finger at him as he moved closer and she whispered in his ear.

"Just that?" he asked and she nodded her head. "Ok, come on."

The sun was setting as Duer and Frankie walked back toward the house and he held her in his arms. The Doctor assured them that he and the rest of the family would keep looking for Faith as Duer opened the door and they walked inside the house. Closing the door, he led Frankie to the couch as he sat her down and headed for the kitchen. He stopped short when he saw the mess on the counter and walked to the pantry. Opening the door, he noticed that several packets of crisps, a bag of popcorn and a box of cookies was missing and he closed the door. Walking to the refrigerator, he opened the door when he saw a liter of soda and a bottle of juice was missing and so was half of the tuna submarine sandwich he was saving to eat while watching the Manchester United football game.

"Frankie?" he called as she came into the kitchen and he stood against the refrigerator after the door closed. "I think I know where our little runaway is."

"Shh…." Duer whispered as they walked into the family room and Faith, Elby and Mumble Bumble was lying on the Dora the Explorer sleeping bag and Cameron was lying on the couch, the remains of their Disney Princess dvd party was scattered on the floor around the couch. Cameron, Faith and Elby were sound asleep as Frankie slowly walked to the couch and shook Cameron, causing him to open one eye and look at her.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" she whispered as he half sat up and she slid next to him, wrapping her arms around him. Duer sat next to them as Cameron sighed and told them how he found Faith.

"Why didn't I think of looking for her in here?" Duer asked as he rolled his eyes and Cameron half smiled at him. "So, you two are friends again, eh?"

"Well, yeah, after we watched Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid," Cameron whispered when Faith woke up and opened her eyes. Yawning, she got up when she walked to the couch and Duer picked her up and placed her on his lap.

"Did you have fun with your big brother?" he asked and Faith nodded, placing her head against his chest. "Good, but you do know that the both of you grounded, right?"

"What?" Cameron asked with wide eyes.

"You're grounded for bringing that DVD into this house," Duer said then looked at Faith. "And you are grounded for scaring the daylights out of us. Our whole family is out there looking for you."

"They are?" Faith asked.

"Yep, the Doctor is even checking the space port just in case someone snatched you and took you off world," he said and Faith gasped.

"_Uncle Doctor?" _she thought and felt his mind rushing toward her.

"_Faith, where are you?" _he thought.

"_I'm in Daddy's TARDIS," _she thought then giggled when his head appeared in her mind and had a shocked look on her face.

"_You are?" _ the Doctor asked when Alan and Adam's heads appeared and Adam smiled at Alan.

"_You owe me a tenner, Holmes," _he thought and Alan stuck his tongue out at him then faded away. _"I'll go tell the others that she's safe at home."_

'_Thanks, __Little Brother__," _Duer thought as the Doctor looked at Faith with a stern look on his face and she pouted, batting her eyelashes at him. _"Ah, none of that, say you're sorry."_

"_I'm sorry to scare everyone and will never do that again," _Faith thought and felt the love and comfort of the whole family in her mind. The Doctor sighed as a cartoon chalkboard appeared in her head and he stood in front of it, holding a piece of chalk in his hand. _"What is that for?"_

"_I want you to write I WLL NEVER RUN AWAY EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER AGAIN one hundred times," _the Doctor thought and she pouted, placing her hands on her hips.

"_I don't know how," _she thought and he tossed the piece of chalk over his shoulder.

"_Then I'll take a hug," _he thought as she hugged him and he tapped the tip of his finger on the tip of her nose. She watched as the Doctor left her mind then looked at Duer, Frankie and Cameron and smiled.

"Can we watch a movie?" she asked.

"Which movie do you want to watch?" Frankie asked when Faith reached into Duer's pocket and pulled out the Puppet Master DVD case, making both Frankie and Duer's eyes go wide.

"I got a better idea," Cameron said as he got off the couch and walked to the shelf. Picking out a DVD, he walked to the couch as he handed the DVD case to Duer and Duer looked at the cover. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON was on the cover as he nodded and Cameron went to place the DVD into the DVD player. Walking back to the couch, Cameron picked Faith off of Duer's lap, sat down and placed her on his lap, handing her the remote. Smiling, she pushed the button as the movie started and Cameron kissed the top or her head, gently wrapping his arms around her.


	152. Chapter 152

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Two

Rain finished getting Hope into her blue jacket so they could go in the TARDIS. Rain had given coordinates to the TARDIS beforehand so as soon as they got inside, the TARDIS would take them to the predetermined locations for the Doctor's gifts.

"What we gonna do, Mummy?" Hope asked her.

"Something special for Daddy. He gave me his gifts, now I'm gonna give him his," Rain said with a twinkle in her eye. "And you get to come along and see. Do you wanna?"

"Yes!" Hope said, excited.

Rain smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I'm gonna get ready so wait for us," she said, stroking her long hair.

Hope nodded and Rain gave her another kiss on the cheek before she went to her bedroom. Hope went downstairs, excitement filling her body while she wondered what her mother was going to do. She went to the bay window and looked out. Her eyes widened when she saw Donna walking by and she ran to the door, screaming her name as she opened the door. Donna stopped and looked at her.

"Aunt Donna, wait, come with us!" Hope yelled as she ran up the pavement towards her.

"Come with you where?" Donna asked, laying her hand on top of Hope's head.

"Mummy's gonna take Daddy to get his gifts, come with us and see them!" Hope said, taking her hand.

"Um…I'll have to ask your mum, love, I wasn't invited," Donna said as she walked with Hope back to the house.

When they went back inside, they saw the Doctor going towards the open door.

"Oh, wondered why that was standing open," the Doctor said when he saw them.

"Daddy, can Aunt Donna come with us?" Hope said.

"Well…this is your mum's idea so we better ask her but I'm sure she'll say yes if Donna wants to go," the Doctor said with a shrug.

Rain came down the stairs and paused when she saw Donna.

"Hey, Sis, didn't hear you knock," she said, coming the rest of the way down.

"That's because your daughter tore out the door and came and got me," Donna said.

"Can Aunt Donna come with us, Mummy?" Hope asked.

"I don't want to bother you if this is something private," Donna said.

"Nah, we're taking Hope along so it's not that private, you're welcome to come with us," Rain said.

"Please? Please?" Hope said, tugging on her hand.

"Oh alright, you talked me into it," Donna said with an exaggerated sigh.

The Doctor gave her a hug before shutting and locking the door. Then all of them followed Rain into the garage. Once the door was open, Rain told the TARDIS to take them to the first location and the rotor came to life while the Doctor closed the door.

"Where we goin', Daddy?" Hope asked him.

"I don't know! Isn't that brilliant?" the Doctor said, getting in her face.

He froze and his mouth hung open in a goofy grin. Hope giggled and walked around him while the Doctor remained frozen in the same position. Donna laughed and walked over to where Hope was standing and bent down so she could get in her face.

"Act like an adult, ya twonk," she teased before she walked away.

Rain laughed when the Doctor's fist shot out in front of him after she walked away.

"Damn, I missed," the Doctor said, straightening back up. "Have to act quickly next time so I can knock her on her arse and…oh hi, Donna! Didn't see you there!"

Rain snickered when Donna shot him a look and walked over to Rain who was standing with Hope at the console. The TARDIS landed, powered down and there was a flash behind them and a large wicker picnic basket and folded red blanket appeared on the jump seat. Rain handed the blanket to Hope and picked up the picnic basket.

"Follow me and watch your step once you're outside," Rain said to them. "Hope, stay by someone's side, don't wander off, I mean it."

The Doctor was intrigued. He and Donna shared a look and they walked outside. Once Rain opened the door, they saw a fire burning inside a ring of stones and all around them was the flat top of a mesa deep in the desert. Rain noticed her husband giving the fire a confused look and looking all around him.

"It was me. I started the fire earlier and came back to nearly the same time I left," Rain said.

"We're on top of a mesa, aren't we?" Donna said, looking around as the Doctor closed the TARDIS door.

"Yes, in Arizona on the res," Rain said to her. "It's still dark now but the sun's about to come up. I thought we'd sit on top of this mesa, have a snack and watch the sun come up."

"Ah, brilliant, I love a desert sunrise," the Doctor said.

They sat the blanket down beside the fire and put the basket on it. All of them sat down and the Doctor got out two thermoses of tea and milk along with some mugs. He poured tea for the adults and put some milk in it and then poured a glass of milk for Hope. Then he took out a plate and a sack of cookies and arranged the cookies on the plate. The night was slightly chilly with a slight wind that made the fire dance and flicker but the adults weren't bothered by it. There was a crescent moon in the sky and the stars shone overhead. The Doctor took a bit of a chocolate chip cookie as he craned his neck back to look at them. Hope watched him and imitated him.

"Pretty," she said, pointing up to the stars.

"Yes, they are and I've been to most of them," the Doctor said.

"What's your favorite?" Hope asked.

"Um…that one," the Doctor said, randomly pointing to a star.

He giggled when Hope stared up into the sky where he was pointing while she tried to figure out which star he was pointing at. He put his arm around her and kissed her head while she snuggled against him. Then about a half hour later, Hope noticed a star that was brighter than the others and she pointed to it.

"Hey, that's bright!" she said.

"That's the morning star, love," Donna said with a smile. "It comes out just before the sun comes up."

"Otherwise known as Venus," the Doctor said to her in a loud stage whisper. "It's Venus, really!"

"Who's he?" Hope said.

Rain and Donna laughed when the Doctor feigned shock.

"He's a bloke who owes me money and I need to go and hit him in the face sometime," the Doctor said in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Ooo, can I watch when you do it?"

Rain and Donna laughed harder when the Doctor gave his daughter a long, hard stare.

"Do I know you, Captain Bloodlust?" he asked her while she giggled. "Do you like bloody things? I'm beginning to think I spawn people who love violence since both you and Jenny came from me."

Hope laughed when he tickled her and she crawled over to Donna and sat down beside her. The Doctor feigned anger when she waved at him and stuck out her tongue.

"See, she's got a lot of spunk, reminds me of me," Donna said.

"I know, that's why I have to reprogram her brain before it's too late. Now perhaps the mind scrambler will do the trick, turn her subservient to me…"

"Daddy is silly sometimes," Hope whispered to Donna.

"Love, your daddy is silly all of the time," Donna whispered back.

"Ahem, ahem," the Doctor said, getting up, going over to them and leaning over. "Talking about me then?"

"Yes, as usual. We're talking about what a daft plonker you are," Donna said.

"Um…see that edge over there. We're on top of a mesa and it's a long, long drop so I'd watch your gob if I were you before you were a blob on the desert floor."

Donna let out a melodramatic yawn and rubbed Hope's shoulder as Hope stuck his tongue out at his father. The Doctor walked over to Rain.

"Why don't people fear me?" he asked as he sat down beside her.

"Because you're all blow and no show?" she said with a shrug.

"You like to go on and on about things but you never do them because you love us and you wouldn't do it cause you're nice," Hope yelled.

"No I'm not and I don't run my gob and I don't go on and on and I'm not nice and I'll throw you off the mesa, so there!" the Doctor yelled back.

"NO YOU WON'T CAUSE YOUR NICE!" Hope screamed.

"YES, I WILL CAUSE I'M NOT THAT NICE!" the Doctor screamed back.

They laughed as he got to his feet, stomped to the edge of the mesa and screamed downward.

"Feel better?" Donna asked him.

"YES!" the Doctor screamed at her. "I FEEL TONS BETTER SINCE I'VE FIGURED OUT THAT I CAN SCREAM AND NO ONE CAN STOP ME! AAAAAAAH!"

Hope leapt up, ran to him and Donna looked at Rain when the two of them screamed at the top of their lungs.

"I can see why he's a great dad, both he and his clone brother are practically children," Donna said to her sister.

"Yup, never grow up, that's my motto," the Doctor said, picking up Hope and holding her to his chest as he walked back to the blanket.

By this time, the sky was lightening and the adults put out the fire so they could watch the sunrise. They sat together and Hope sat with Donna while the sky slowly lightened and in the distance, reddened.

"Ooo," Hope said as they watched. "Pretty."

"Yes, nothing like a desert sunrise," the Doctor said. "I…"

He trailed off when Rain handed him a small jewelry box. He opened it and smiled when he saw a silver chain with a sliver of turquoise as a pendant.

"Oh, this is beautiful, my love," the Doctor whispered as he held it up so Hope and Donna could see it.

"Yeah, gift number one," Rain said as she took it from him and put it around his neck.

The Doctor held up the turquoise so Hope could see it. Hope touched it and smiled.

"I like it, Daddy."

"Yes, I do too. It's beautiful. Always loved turquoise," he said. "So…what's next?"

"Follow me everyone," Rain said, closing up the basket, "and the TARDIS will take us to the second location."


	153. Chapter 153

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Three

Duer softly hummed while walking down the hallway and stopped near the door, peeking into Faith's bedroom. He had come to tell her a bedtime story but she wasn't in the room and he frowned. He then heard the sound of giggling coming from her bathroom as he walked to the doorway and smiled, seeing her giving Elby a bath. The sleeves of her pink Disney Princesses nightgown was pulled up as she poured a cup of water of Elby's head and it shivered then saw Duer standing in the doorway.

"MEEP!" Elby screamed when it crawled out of the sink and slid under the towel on the counter, making Faith turn around to look at Duer.

"Daddy, don't you know how to knock? I was giving Elby his bath!" she said as Elby peeked out from under the towel and nodded.

"Sorry," he said as she picked up the towel and started drying Elby. "Does he get a bath every night?"

"Yep, just like I do," Faith said with a nod of her head and carefully dried Elby's hair.

"And he liked bubbles in his bath like you do?"

"No, he's a boy, he likes to play with his toy boats," she said as Duer walked to the sink and saw the tiny plastic boats sitting on the counter.

"Ah, does he splash water everywhere then? Your brother used to do that when he was little."

"Yep, but I just tell him to stop," Faith said when she placed the towel on the counter and handed Elby a pair of blue and red striped doll pajamas and blue dressing gown, holding the washcloth up as Elby got dressed.

"Well, I am glad that you take such good care of him," Duer said with a smile as Elby walked out from behind the washcloth and tied the dressing gown closed. "You don't use the hairdryer on his hair, do you?"

"No, Mommy said that it would make his hair go all curly."

"But he'll get a cold if he goes around with wet hair."

"The TARDIS made him that," Faith said as she pointed to what looked like a chair with a hairdryer from a beauty salon and Elby walked to the chair and sat down. Faith lowered the drying unit over Elby's head and Elby made a little purring sound, swinging its feet back and forth.

"Hmm," Duer said as he looked at the drying unit then took out his sonic screwdriver and did a quick scan. "Ah, it uses low level sonic waves to dry his hair. It won't bother his ears and dries the hair a lot quicker than a normal hairdryer. Brilliant!"

Faith nodded then lifted the top of the drying unit and Elby stood up, walking toward her. Faith carefully picked Elby up as she handed Elby to Duer then went about cleaning up the bathroom. They left the bathroom as Duer turned the light off in the bathroom and they walked to the small vanity. Faith sat down as Duer placed Elby on the table and Elby sat down on the edge of the table. Faith picked up a small, soft bristle brush when she picked Elby up and started brushing its hair.

"Mommy says that his hair is easier to brush than yours," Faith said as Duer knelt down next to her and frowned, looking at their reflection in the mirror.

"Does she?" he asked and Faith nodded.

"She says that you need an extra hour to get ready to go anywhere because your hair goes all over the place," she said with a grin and Duer's eyes went wide.

"I will have you know that it only take ten minutes for me to get it to look like this," he said with a smug look on his face and she giggled.

"Uncle Adam says that you look like you stuck your finger in a light socket," she said then yelped as he tickled her armpit then rolled his eyes.

"Well, your Uncle Adam looks like he just got up," he said and she giggled.

"I like your hair," Faith said as she stroked his hair and he smiled, kissing her check.

"Thank you, Butterfly," he said when Faith finished brushing Elby's hair and Elby looked at them, blinking its eyes. "There, you look handsome!"

"Meep," Elby said as it smiled and gave them a smug look. Duer softly laughed when he carefully picked Elby up and they walked to the bed. Faith crawled onto the bed as Duer placed Elby on the bed and helped her take her pink, fuzzy slippers off, placing the pink fuzzy slippers on the floor. She snuggled under the pink Disney Princesses duvet when he tucked her in then sat on the bed. Elby crawled over Duer's legs then snuggled between them as it looked up at them and Duer smiled, picking Elby up and looked at it.

"Daddy?" Faith asked as he looked at her and she looked at Elby. "Where did Elby come from?"

"I told you. Aunt Marion made him for Mommy when I had to go away for a bit."

"Yeah, I know that story, but where do chibis come from? Are they born like everyone else?"

"Ah," he said as he looked at Elby and used his index finger to move some hair from Elby's eyes. "No, Love, chibis aren't born like everyone else."

"Meep?" Elby asked with a pout and Duer shook his head.

"Aunt Marion told me that an alien had arrived on the Earth where she, Uncle Adam, River and James lived and had asked for asylum."

"Why?" Faith asked.

"Well, you see, Chabi, that was his name, was a toy maker on his home world and most of his toys were toys that children could interactive with. The biggest seller in his store was the chibis because the chibis weren't like any ordinary doll or action figures. They were alive and could be a companion for a child when there was no one else to play with. Now, some people thought that they were just a new form of pet, but there were those that thought the chibis would be the perfect weapons. I mean no one would expect a toy to be trained to kill people or blow things up," Duer said and Elby started shaking and made little frightened meeping sounds. Duer held Elby against his chest as he rubbed its back and sent comfort into its mind.

"You mean like in that movie Cameron was watching?" Faith asked.

"Yes, just like that movie. Those dolls were made to get revenge and the people Chabi was running away from wanted him to make them chibis that would kill. He didn't want his creations to be used that way and left his home world. Now, Aunt Marion was there when he landed on Earth and took him to Torchwood where…"

"Uncle Jack helped him hid so the bad people wouldn't find him?" she asked and he smiled her.

"No, this is the Torchwood where they lived," he said and she pouted.

"Oh, where the bad man hurt Uncle Adam," she sighed and Duer looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"He told you about that?"

"Yep, he said Aunt Marion's step-daddy hurt Uncle Adam because he was your brother. He even kidnapped River and made Uncle Adam really sick. He would of died if you hadn't saved him," Faith said and Duer sighed, thinking about what the Peter Tyler of Adam's universe had done to Adam and closed his eyes for a few second. "Are you ok, Daddy?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said as he opened his eyes and smiled down at Elby. "Anyway, Aunt Marion really liked the chibis and told Chabi that she would take care of them for him. He left the chibis, the instructions on how to make them and the machine he used to create them then she found him a new identity and he went into hiding."

"Did he look human?"

"I think so. Aunt Marion didn't tell me."

"But why do some of them look like you?" she asked as he looked at Elby and smiled.

"Well, she did that because River missed me and Aunt Marion thought having chibis that looked like her family, including me and my lives, and my friends would cheer River up. The problem was our family kept growing and growing and growing and she had to keep making new ones."

"Mommy said that River took the chibis away to another planet once."

"Yep, River had found a planet with living dolls on it in this universe and it turned out that Chabi had crashed landed there. He made those chibis for company but died of old age. Luckily, he had taught those chbis how to use the machines and they built their own villages."

"Mommy said that the planet blew up," Faith sighed and Duer nodded.

"River was able to save her chibis. She wanted the others to come with her but they refused. That was their home."

"You said that some of them look like your lives. You mean there are more that look like you and Elby?" she asked and Duer smiled, shaking his head.

"No, they don't look like me and Elby. Did I explain regeneration to you?" he asked and she shook her head. Snuggling closer, she placed her head on his arm as he told her what regeneration was and both Faith and Elby were shocked.

"And you look different each time?" she asked.

"Yep, that is why Elby doesn't look like me. This is what I will look like in my next life," he said as he pointed to Elby and Elby looked up at him.

"River let me see the other ones. There is one that looks like a grandpa," she said and he smiled.

"That was how I looked originally," Duer said.

"Then there was the one that looks like Grandpa Trevor," she said, talking about Trevor, the Doctor from another universe that came to live with them and looks like Duer's second life. The children had officially adopted him as a grandfather and Duer smiled.

"That was my second life."

"I like the one that drives around in the toy car."

"That was my third life and the car's name is Bessie," he said and she smiled then yawned. Duer shifted a bit on the bed as she snuggled closer and placed her head on his chest.

"The one with the long scarf keeps falling down all the time," she sighed and half closed her eyes.

"Ah, that is my fourth life. I never figured out why I wanted to wear that scarf. It was always getting in the way," he said and she smiled, placing her thumb in her mouth. Duer watched as she started drifting off to sleep and he softly sang a Gallifreyan lullaby, rubbing her back. In a few minutes she was sound asleep as he kissed the top of her head then slid out from under her and rested her head on the pillow. He moved the duvet up when he bent over and kissed the top of her head. He placed her teddy bear under her arm as she smiled then looked at Elby and Elby looked at Faith.

"Meep?" Elby whispered as Duer nodded then picked Elby up and walked to the dollhouse. He opened the front of the dollhouse as he placed Elby inside and helped it take the dressing gown off. Yawning, Elby placed the dressing gown on the chair then crawled under the tiny, blue duvet and half closed its eyes. Duer knelt down when he tucked Elby under the duvet then patted its head and Elby yawned a second time, closing its eyes.. He watched while Elby snuggled under the duvet then Duer stood up and walked to the door. Turning around, he smiled then turned the light off as he walkout out of the room and closed the door halfway. He shook his head when he placed his hands in his pocket then walked to the stairs, going downstairs and smiled.


	154. Chapter 154

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Four

By the time they got back into the TARDIS and were hurrying to the next location, Hope was buzzing with excitement. Finally, she couldn't wait any longer and she ran to her mother, begging her to let her know where they were going. Rain smiled, bent down and whispered in her ear. Hope's eyes bulged and Rain kissed her as she whispered for her daughter to follow her so she could get ready. Excitement coursing throughout her body, she followed her mother back to her room on the TARDIS.

Meanwhile, the TARDIS landed and powered down. The Doctor Looked at Donna.

"Should…we open the door and have a peek?" he asked her.

"Might make your wife angry," Donna said.

"Nah, she'd love me no matter what," the Doctor said. "I'll be a naughty boy and have a dekko and then pretend I haven't looked."

"What about me? How do you know I won't tell her you looked," Donna said.

The Doctor stared at her for a moment and then laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Donna, it's been wonderful but I'm afraid I have to wipe your mind and…"

"Ooooh no, you don't," Donna said, backing away while the Doctor sniggered. "You do that again to me and I'll rip your head off your shoulders and use it for a football."

The Doctor looked over when Rain and Hope came back into the room. Hope was carrying a little pink duffle bag. She walked over to her father and smiled up at him.

"I know what we're gonna dooo-ooo," she said in a sing-song voice.

She laughed when the Doctor seized her and began to tickle her.

"Tell me!" he said as he tickled her. "I must know! I must know what we're gonna dooo-oo! You must tell me or I'll tickle the life from you."

Hope pulled away and scurried back to her mother, giggling while she ran around her legs.

"Did he torture you, baby?" Rain asked, looking behind her.

"I must know!" the Doctor said, running to Rain and grabbing her shirt. "I must know! You must tell me!"

Rain glanced up when the TARDIS laughed at that and she patted his head.

"No wonder your ship stayed with you all these years. You've given her centuries of amusement," she said to the Doctor.

"Yup, she's just as barmy as I am," the Doctor said, patting the console while the TARDIS grumbled out laughter. "So…where'd ya take me? Where, where, where?"

Hope walked around Rain, took her father's hand and the Doctor let out a squeal of delight when she led him to the door. Rain and Donna shared a glance and followed them. The Doctor opened the door and peeked outside. He saw several trees in front of him and noticed they were in a field. As he came outside, he noticed they were surrounded by trees and boulders and the field was beside a large, rectangular cinder block building that had no windows. On the side someone had painted a huge rainbow and the Doctor admired it as the others came outside.

"Come along, love," Rain said, taking the Doctor's hand while Donna closed the TARDIS door.

They walked around the front of the building. In the distance the Doctor could see a huge mountain rising up beyond the city. It was glowing in the moonlight and resembled a camel resting. He deduced it was Camelback Mountain which was behind Phoenix and his suspicions were confirmed when they reached the entrance and he saw Phoenix Roller Rink on a sign above the glass double doors.

"Roller skating?" the Doctor said.

"Yes, it's hard to shop for you so I figured a night of roller skating might be to your liking," Rain said.

"Brilliant! I would love to roller skate with all of you," he said as they went inside.

The moment they went through the small corridor and into the main portion of the building, the Doctor stopped short when he saw all of his family and friends standing around the roller rink. They all shouted happy birthday to him and Rain grinned at him.

"Figure out why we landed amid a bunch of trees and rocks?" she said.

The Doctor beamed and laughed at that while Rain squeezed his hand.

"I used my magic wallet and rented the building for the night so we'll have it all to ourselves apart from the staff," she said. "And we told everyone you were coming."

"No one told me," Donna said with a frown.

Jack skated over.

"We searched for you so we could let you know but you went for a walk and I guess Hope intercepted you before anyone else could. But once Rain told me where you were, I told everyone else so we called off the search. Otherwise, you would have known about this beforehand."

"And we brought your roller skates and the TARDIS got Donna a fresh pair so you don't have to worry about renting them," Rain said, pointing to the duffle bag.

"Well, let's get them on and get skating then," the Doctor said.

Very soon, the whole roller rink was crowded with the Doctor's family and friends. A few were at the concession stand getting snacks and Mickey and Cameron were playing the arcade games. The Doctor had Hope's hand and was slowly skating with her while they stayed near the wall. He kept smiling and waving when people would pass by and scream happy birthday to him as well as Rain. Then Alan caught up with him. He was skating backwards and when he reached him, he maneuvered into the empty space in front of him and continued to skate backwards while he talked to him.

"Ah, Rainy can be a painy but sometimes she has wonderful brainstorms," he said as he skated backwards.

"Yes. She's a lot more brilliant than you give her credit for," the Doctor said.

"Eh, let's not go that far," Alan said, making a face.

"Hey, how you doing that?" Hope said.

"How I doin' what?" Alan said.

"You're going the other way, how you doing that?"

"Magic, you silly girl. I'm a powerful sorcerer, didn't you know that?" Alan said.

Amato passed them skating backwards. He slowed his pace and kept up with Alan.

"Where's the butter knife then?" he asked Alan.

"Rosita? I left the fat cow behind, she was too slow," Alan said to him. "What about you? Where's Very Peri?"

"With Martha Artha and Grace Face. I left her behind as well," Amato said. "No one can keep up with me when it comes to backward skating."

Amato looked down when Hope sped up and got in front of him.

"Eeek, wee one coming!" he said while Alan chuckled. "I…"

He gasped when Hope suddenly lost her balance and fell hard on her knee. All four adults stopped and started to help her up while she cried. While they were doing that, Adam was skating by, heard her weeping and stopped. He coasted over and stopped. He leaned over and stared at her with wide eyes. Everyone chuckled when he continued to stare and Hope started to laugh in spite of herself.

"That's better. I don't want you crying. This is supposed to be funtime," Adam said.

"I hurt myself," Hope said, pointing to her skinned left knee.

She giggled when Adam bent over more and stared intently at it. Then after a few moments, he looked into her eyes.

"You need some iodine?" he asked.

"Um…no," Hope said.

"Sure?"

The Doctor laughed when Hope looked up at him with a confused look on her face.

"What's Idonine?" she asked him.

"Never mine, love. Your knee will be okay," the Doctor said.

"My knee will be okay, Daddy said so," Hope said to Adam.

"Well," Adam said, sniffing. "I'm no longer needed then. Goodbye."

He swiveled around and zoomed off on his roller skates. While they watched him go, they saw Rose skating by with Grace and Martha.

"Hey look," the Doctor yelled so she could heard him, "It's that fat cow, Rose Tyler!"

Alan and Jack zoomed away when Rose slowed to a stop and gave the Doctor the look of death while Grace and Martha bent over laughing.

"Baby, step back so we won't get in the way of Aunt Rose killing your daddy," Rain said, taking her hand when Rose made a beeline for the Doctor. Grace and Martha followed their sister while she slowly guided to a half in front of the Doctor and folded her arms over her chest.

"Say that again to my face, if you have the guts," Rose said to him.

"I was only repeating what Alan said," the Doctor said.

"Yeah, well, Alan ain't here and you are, now…say that again to my face," Rose said, skating closer to him.

Rose stared at him while the Doctor shifted nervously. Suddenly he looked behind him and pointed off towards the arcade.

"A Dalek!" he yelled before he zoomed away.

Rose snorted while Rain bent over laughing and flipped off the Doctor while he put as much distance between himself and her as he possibly could.


	155. Chapter 155

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Five

"Is Hope alright?" Duer asked while holding onto Faith's hands and Adam looked over at Hope.

"Yeah, she just scraped her knee," Adam said when Faith tugged on Adam's shirt and he looked down at her with wide eyes. "Yes, what can I do for you?"

"Mommy made me put these on," Faith said as she pointed to the knee pads she was wearing and he noticed that they had Dora the Explorer on them.

"Well, your mommy is a very wise woman," Adam said then saw Rose and Alan and smiled. "Unlike Rosie Toes, she is as wise as a brick!"

"What did you say?" Rose asked as Adam placed his fists against his hips and gave her a smug look.

"I said you are as wise as a brick!" he shouted and Alan's mouth dropped open.

"How dare you talk to my wife like that," he said and Adam folded his arms over his chest.

"You talk to her like that."

"Well, she's my wife. If I think she's as thick as a brick then it's my duty to tell her so!" Alan said as Rose sighed, rolled her eyes and skated away. "Hey, come back here!"

"No!" Rose said as she turned around and stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'll teach you to be cheeky with me!" Alan shouted as he skated after her and Adam and Duer laughed.

"Uncle Adam, that was rude," Faith said as Adam pouted and sniffed, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles.

"Do you think I should go and tell her that I'm sorry?" he asked and Faith nodded her head. Spinning around, Adam fell onto his bottom as the others looked at him and he tried to get up. After failing to get up, Adam rested on his back then looked up at the ceiling and folded his hands over his stomach.

"What are you doing, you goof?" Marion asked as she skated over to him and he smiled up at her.

"I'm taking a skating break," he said and she rolled her eyes.

"Get up before you get run over," Marion said as she helped him up and Adam looked at the others, waving at them.

"Just so you know, I meant to do that!" he shouted as Marion led him toward Rosie and John and Duer smiled.

"Uncle Adam is silly," Faith said as Duer nodded then took her hand and they started skating.

Koschei felt sorry that there weren't any skates that would fit Aderyn's feet as they sat on the bench and watched Julie skating with Awinita, Amber and Donna.

"Look, Baba, Mooma is flying!" Aderyn said while pointing to Julie when Julie skated over to the wall and looked at them.

"Would you like to fly, Sweetie?" Julie asked and Aderyn bounced on Koschei's lap.

"Yes, I want to fly!" she said as Koschei stood up and handed Aderyn to Julie. Holding onto her, Julie skating around the rink as Adeyrn giggled and held her arms out. Julie spun around in a circle when Awinita took Aderyn from Julie and spun around in a circle. One at time, the others spun Aderyn, or skated with her, and she giggled. "Baba, come and play!"

"Ok," Koschei said as he walked to rink then held onto the railings and Donna smiled at him.

"Don't tell me that you don't know how to skate," she teased and he shrugged, nodding his head. Softly laughing, Julie walked to him as she helped him and he held her tightly around her waist. After nearly falling a few times, he got the hang of what to do and Julie let go of him. He skated carefully to Donna when he took Aderyn from her and smiled.

"Fly, Baba!" she said as he balanced her on his hip and skated around in a circle. "Look, Mooma, Baba can fly!"

"I see that," Julie said with a smile then skated toward them and he kissed her cheek.

"Baba, I'm hungry," Aderyn said as she played with his earlobe and he softly laughed, kissed her cheek. They headed off the rink then headed for the food court and Aderyn placed her head on his shoulder.

"Oh my giddy aunt, I am not sure about this," Trevor said as Zoe helped him move around the rink and Zoe sweetly smiled at him.

"You're doing fine, Doctor," she said and Jamesie nodded.

"Aye, you're doing better than I am," Jamesie said while holding onto the railing and Zoe giggled. "Och, what are you laughing at?"

"I was just thinking about when we went ice skating and you fell on your butt."

"Oh yes, I remember that. You didn't have any underpants on under your kilt and you broke your tailbone," Trevor said with a nod of his head and Jamesie sighed, rolling his eyes.

"You had tae go an' remind me," he said and Zoe skated over to him and kissed his cheek then skated back to Trevor.

"Well, if you two don't mind, I think I have had enough for one day," Trevor said as they nodded, went off the rink and helped him sit down. Zoe helped him take the skates off as he wiggled his toes and sighed. "Oh, that feels amazing."

"Anyone want anything to eat?" Zoe asked.

"Aye, I could go for something," Jamesie said and she nodded, took the skates off and walked away. Jamesie sat down next to Trevor when he started taking the skates off and smiled, looking at Trevor. "You ken, Doctor, that I do ken how tae ice skate."

"Then why did you fall?" he asked and Jamesie watched Zoe headed for the drink area.

"I got distracted by that perky, wee bottom of hers," he said, nodding his head toward Zoe and Trevor looked at her then smiled.

"Jamie," he said and Jamesie softly laughed, placing his boots on.

"Attention Clan McCrimmion, gather around an' get ready for a game of Crack the Strap!" Angus shouted as Jamie and Jenna looked at each other and Jamie smiled.

"What is he talking about?" Jenna asked as Frazer, Angel, Alexander, Donald, Zoe, Victoria, Conner, Ian, Robbie, Derek, Colleen, Toni, Melissa, Catherine, Lucy, Zoe, Moira, Douglas, Annie, Gregory, Cathleen, Duncan, Mark, Charles, Andrew, Ben, Polly, Patrick, Anna-Marie, Trevor and Malcolm gathered around him and Jamie looked over at Hamish. It hurt Jamie when the manager said that Hamish couldn't skate due to his blindness and Jamie frowned, his lower lip sticking out.

"Hold on," he said as they watched him leave the rink and walked to Hamish. They had gotten a pair of skates for Hamish as Jamie sat down next to him and tapped his shoulder, making him look toward Jamie. "Put those skates on."

"But…." Hamish stammered and Jamie smiled.

"Are you really going tae let someone tell you that you cannae do something?" he asked and Hamish blinked, wrapping his fingers around the stick.

"No, I'm nae!" he said as Jamie smiled then helped him put the skates on. Jenna came to help Hamish stand up as they headed for the rink and Jamie held onto the stick. Hamish held his hand out when Zoe took his hand and Hamish smiled. She led him to the others when Angus nodded and looked at the others.

"Right, this is how you play the game. We grab onto each other's hips then start skating around the center of the rink. When we pick up enough speed, I'll tell you tae let go an' the last one standing gets either a beer or ice cream," Angus said as they looked at each other and Frazer tilted his head to one side.

"What do you mean by the last one standing?" he asked.

"We're going tae be going around an' around until we're dizzy, which will make it hard tae stay up," Angus said and Frazer nodded.

"Should we make two circles, Angus, one for us an' one for the wee ones?" Ian asked and Angus looked at the children.

"Aye, that sounds like a good idea," he said then they skated to the center of the rink and Alan frowned, looking at them.

"What are they up to?" he asked as they gathered into two circles then started skating faster and faster.

"I think they're going to play Crack the Whip," Adam said.

"Is that Hamish?" John asked, pointing at him. "They wouldn't do that with him there. He can't see."

"Looks like that's not a problem," Alan said as they started skating faster and faster and Hamish smiled, holding onto Frazer's hips. The others watched when Angus told them to let go and, one by one, they let go as the others kept going and nearly all of them fell onto the floor. Frazer was holding onto Angus' hips as they sped around in a wild circle and both of them knew that it was time for Hamish to let go.

"_We cannae let him do this," _Frazer thought after putting up a privacy block then his mouth fell open as Hamish let go and went sailing toward the wall. The others had been laughing at them staggering around but they were now watching Hamish sailing toward the wall and Lucy gasped, watching Hamish lose his footing and crashed to the floor.

"Hamish!" she shouted as they skated to him and Hamish was lying on his back, his eyes closed and one leg was bent under the other.

"Let us through!" Grace said as she and Martha knelt down next to Hamish and Grace placed her fingers against his wrist, feeling the double beat.

"Dinnae fash," Hamish said as he opened his eyes and Grace hushed him.

"Does anything hurt?" she asked.

"No," he said then slowly slid his right leg out from under his left leg and they helped him sit up. He grunted when Lucy hugged him then looked toward Angus and smiled. "Can we do that again?"

"NO!" Lucy said as he smiled and rubbed her back. They helped him up then left the rink and a few minutes later Angus brought him a large glass of beer and Hamish smiled, sipping on the beer.


	156. Chapter 156

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Six

The Doctor skated over to the concession stand and ordered a small bowl of nachos and a Coke. When he received them and paid for his purchase, he turned and noticed Hope was staring at him while Rain giggled as she sat at a nearby table.

"I want some," Hope said, pointing to the nachos.

"Get a job and earn some money and you can get some," the Doctor said as he skated past her to the table Rain was sitting out.

"Hey, I want some!" Hope said while Rain laughed.

The Doctor feigned annoyance and let out a melodramatic sigh while Hope skated over and sat down beside Rain. He smiled, gave her the nachos and Coke and went back over to get some more for him and Rain. They sat together and ate at a small booth that was beside the divider wall for the skating rink. While they ate, Rose skated up, folded her arms on top of the divider wall and stared intently at the Doctor while Rain giggled.

"Since you're sitting here eating, I'm guessing the Daleks are gone," Rose said to him.

"Oh yeah, it took a lot out of me to eject them from the roller skating facility which is why I'm consuming nachos and soda pop," the Doctor said while Rain giggled. "The dirty blighters, they managed to affix roller skates to their undersides and they were going to blend into the crowd while they killed us but I saw right through their disguise so I'm rewarding myself now."

"Yeah, right, Doctor, like anyone would ever believe that," Rose muttered.

Hope offered her a nacho chip and Rose smiled as she took it and munched on it. While she was eating it, Manfred Mann's Blinded By The Light came on and blared overhead. She finished swallowing the chip when Alan coasted up and grabbed.

"Blinded by the light!" he sang loudly. "Wrapped up like a douche, another rubber in the night."

Rain choked on her Coke while Alan giggled.

"That isn't what he's singing," Rose said to Alan.

"Is too, listen," he said, pointing up to the ceiling.

The chorus came on again and Alan emphasized douche and rubber as he sang it to her.

"No, actually, we had this argument before when I was younger," Rain said to Alan. "It's blinded by the light, revved up like deuce, another runner in the night."

"Is not," Alan said. "He's saying douche, you can hear it clearly."

"What's a douche?"

Rain gave Alan a dirty look when Hope asked that. Alan patted Hope's head.

"It's an adult thing," he said before he stole one of her nacho chips laden with nacho cheese and popped it in his mouth.

While he did that, Jack coasted up to his side and Alan asked him about the lyrics while he pointed up to the ceiling. Rain and Rose laughed when Jack corrected him and told him it was deuce and not douche.

"Whatever," Alan said, holding up his hand. "I know what I'm hearing and it's douche."

Jack chuckled and sang the chorus to himself while he rested on the divider and Alan skated off. Suddenly, Alan came back with John, Shilah and Adam and they came up beside him. All four of them took a deep breath and belted out…

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT!

WRAPPED UP LIKE A DOUCHE, ANOTHER RUBBER IN THE NIGHT!

Rose groaned when the four of them skated away, laughing insanely.

"Those four were meant for each other," Rain said, dipping one of her nachos in her cheese sauce before eating it.

"Well, they get along so well because they're all me," the Doctor said.

"Should they be at odds then since they're all you?" Rose said.

"No, we're all one mind. Much like a hive mind and…"

The Doctor trailed off and frowned when he felt his mind being blocked from the rest of his family. He noticed Rose, Rain and Jack giggling and then suddenly the majority of his family screamed out…

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT, WRAPPED UP LIKE A DOUCHE, ANOTHER RUBBER IN THE NIGHT!

The Doctor shook with silent laughter while the rink echoed with laughter. Meanwhile, Jackie skated to the little opening in the divider wall and stepped up into the arcade area.

"Sometimes I think you lot are just barking mad," she said as she skated over to the concession stand.

"Ah, come on, Jackie, it's just a joke," the Doctor said to her. "We're just having a bit of fun."

"Have some nachos, Gran," Hope said to her.

Jackie smiled tenderly at her and skated over while Rose and Jack came up into the arcade.

"Yeah, Mum, just relax and have fun," Rose said as she and Jack skated over to her.

Jackie ate the nacho chip that Hope offered to her, nodded and skated back over to the concession stand.

"All these years and she still acts like we're a bunch of naughty teenagers," Rose muttered to everyone as she leaned down.

"Well, you ran away with me when you were a teenager so perhaps she's basing her assessment on that," the Doctor said with a shrug.

"Yes but you came back and got me after I refused," Rose countered.

The Doctor froze mid sip of his Coke and slowly lowered the cup.

"And your point is?" he said to her.

The Doctor and Rose stared at one another for a moment and then Rose looked off to her right.

"A Dalek!" she said.

Rain and Jack laughed as she skated away.

"What was that you were saying about some of us being barking mad, Jackie?" the Doctor called to her.

He frowned when he felt fingers through the back of his hair and turned to look at his wife and daughter who were giggling.

"May I ask what that was about?" the Doctor asked Rain.

"Not me, that was Hope."

The Doctor looked at Hope who was giggling and shaking her hand. He held up her hand and looked at her short arm and then held up his wife's longer arm and gave her a pointed look.

"Hope stood up really fast," Rain said with a shrug.

She and Hope laughed when the Doctor's eyes bulged the moment he felt someone's finger going through his hair. He turned and saw Jack was sitting in the booth behind him.

"What?" Jack said with a look of innocence.

"That better not have been you," the Doctor said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jack said with a shrug before biting into his hot dog.

The Doctor was about to say something when he felt a finger in his hair and heard Hope giggling. He jerked his head around fast enough to see Rain quickly putting her hand down under the booth.

"Uh huh, caught ya now!" the Doctor said triumphantly.

"Caught me doing what? Putting my hand in my lap?" Rain said innocently.

The Doctor was about to answer that when suddenly Rose sped up and slammed into his table.

"The point is you were contributing to the delinquency of a minor! So there!"

Jack bent over his table, laughing hysterically while Rose zoomed away. The Doctor stared at her as she skated away and then looked at Jackie who was standing by the concession stand, sipping a soda with a you see what I mean look on her face. He rolled his eyes and smiled when Rain and Hope laughed at that and took a nacho chip from his bowl.

After three hours, it was time to close up for the night and everyone filed out to the car park to say goodbye before going to the field. The Doctor and Rain accepted hugs and good wishes from everyone as they slowly went back to their TARDISes. Finally, Rose and Alan were left.

"A very awesome idea, Rainy. We must do this again sometime," Alan said to her.

"Well, he's very hard to shop for so I thought a night at the skating rink might be the perfect gift for him," Rain said.

"Yes, I'm very hard to please. My standards are very exacting and I frown on shoddy gifts," the Doctor said. "The roller rink gift was deemed satisfactory."

"Let's go again," Hope said.

They laughed when the Doctor looked down at her.

"You want to send me to an early regeneration? I'm tired and you want to keep going. I'll drop dead of exhaustion before you're through," he said to her.

"I like roller skating. I wanna do more," Hope said.

"Yup, she's yours alright," Alan said.

"Uncle Alan! He's inexhaustible! He'll do things!" the Doctor said to Hope as he pointed to Alan.

"Ooo, I'm being given permission to take the child out for a night of frivolity!" Alan said as he scooped Hope up in his arms. "Cinemas, funfairs, restaurants, opera! Anything goes with us!"

Alan looked at Rose while Hope held onto him.

"Come along, Starlight. We will go climb Mount Everest with the young one!" he said to her.

"Heh, you first. Night, Doctor and Rain, I'll be in Daisy waiting for the kid to take me home."

Alan watched as she walked away.

"Mount Fuji perhaps?" he said as she walked away. "the Himalayas? Pike's Peak? The hill behind our house?"

Alan shrugged. He gave Hope a tight hug before putting her down.

"I s'pose we should go home and have a rest," Alan said to Hope. "We like to travel but even me and your dad have to rest sometimes. But we'll climb Everest when I recover and get my second wind so…"

He gave Hope a firm kiss on the cheek and whistled as he walked away. The Doctor swooped up his daughter, kissed her cheek and the three of them headed for their TARDIS.


	157. Chapter 157

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Seven

The fire crackled in the fireplace while Duer sat on the high back chair in the library, reading one of his favorite books, and was happily sipping on a banana milkshake. He teased himself about still having room in his stomach after eating all the yummy food at the Doctor and Rain's birthday party, but he had been thinking about a triple scoop banana milkshake with white chocolate shavings for the last hour and a half. Placing his feet up on the footstool, he softly smiled then frowned as he started feeling like he was being watched and folded the book over his chest.

"Hello?" he asked as he looked around then shrugged and went back to reading his book. He sipped on the banana milkshake when he thought he heard giggling and placed the glass down on the small table next to the high back hair. Standing up, he turned then knelt down on the cushion and peeked over the top of the high back chair. No one was behind the high back chair as he sighed, picked up the book and sat back down. It was then he reached over to pick the glass off the small table that he realized the glass was gone and looked over at the small table, pouting. "What?"

Getting up, he placed the book on the cushion when he scratching the back of his neck and tried to figure out where the glass went.

"You didn't take it, did you?" he asked as he looked up at the ceiling and the TARDIS softly grumbled in his head. "Well, if you didn't take it, where did it go?"

Duer looked around the high back chair, under the small table next to the high back chair, under the high back chair and even checked the mantel over the fireplace, but the glass wasn't there. Shrugging, he walked to the door when he saw the glass sitting on the table near the door and walked to the table.

"Ok, who did this?" he asked then sighed, picked up the glass and walked back to the high back chair. He sipped on the banana milkshake when he half choked on it and placed the glass on the small table near the high back chair. "Right, where did my book go?"

The TARDIS grumbled in his head as Duer sighed and walked to the bookcase. He looked through the titles when he heard a soft thud and turned around, seeing the book on the floor. Walking over to the book, he bent down, picked the book off the floor then stood up and his mouth fell open, seeing that the high back chair was now gone.

"What?" he asked as he held the book against his chest then saw that the high back chair was now on the other side of the room by the door. Duer walked to the high back chair when he heard giggling then spun around, seeing no one behind him. Sighing, Duer placed the book on the cushion, carefully lifted the high back chair up then carried the high back chair to the fireplace, placing the high back chair back to where it was originally. After picking the book up and sitting down, he reached over for the glass when he realized that the glass was gone again and he stood up, looking up at the ceiling. "Right, will you please stop doing that?"

The TARDIS grumbled inside his head that she wasn't doing anything and he sighed, rolling his eyes. He looked around the room when he found the glass on one of the shelves of the bookcase at the far end of the room and walked to the bookcase, picking the glass off the shelf. Turning around, he looked at the high back chair when he walked to the high back chair then looked down, seeing that the book was gone and Duer looked at the ceiling.

"Right," he sighed then walked out of the room and headed down the hallway. What he didn't notice was the small, black ball following him while he walked around the corner and headed for the kitchen. Going inside the kitchen, he placed the glass on the counter then headed for the refrigerator and opened the door. Leaning over, he looked for something to make a sandwich with when he pulled out a loaf of bread, a packet of sliced turkey and a jar of spicy mustard. Standing up, he held everything in his arms when he turned around and saw that the glass was now on the kitchen table.

"Yeah," Duer said as he walked to the kitchen table and placed everything on the table. He walked to the counter when he opened the drawer and took out a knife then opened the cupboard, taking out a plate. Turning around, he nearly dropped the knife and plate on the floor when he saw the loaf of bread was now on the top of the refrigerator and the jar of spicy mustard was upside down on the kitchen table. Sighing, he walked to the kitchen table as he placed the knife and plate down on the kitchen table then turned, walking to the refrigerator. Taking the loaf of bread down, he turned to see that the packet of sliced turkey was now was on the counter near the coffee maker and Duer sighed, looking at the ceiling.

"This is getting old," he whispered when he walked to the counter and picked the packet of sliced turkey off the counter. He heard the giggling again as he turned around but there was no one behind him. Strumming his fingers on the counter, Duer walked to the kitchen table then went about making his sandwich and softly hummed. Licking some of the spicy mustard off his thumb, he placed the sandwich on the plate then picked the plate and the glass off the table and headed for the door. The TARDIS cleaned up his mess as he walked down the hallway and headed for the control room.

Placing the plate and glass on the console, he picked up one half of the sandwich as he started nibbling on it and looked at the screen. Reaching over, he realized that the glass was gone and sighed, swallowing. Walking around the console, he saw that the glass was now on the other side of the console and picked up the glass, sipping on the banana milkshake.

"Where's Cameron?" he asked while looking at the ceiling and the TARDIS grumbled, asking which Cameron he was talking about. "I'm talking about my brother-in-law."

The TARDIS grumbled that Cameron was at the Hub with Jack and Torchwood and Duer nodded, sipping on the banana milkshake. Suddenly he noticed something out of the corner of his eyes when he peeked around the rotor and saw the small, black ball sailing toward the plate. The plate vanished then reappeared on the jump seat and the small black ball vanished behind the coral. Hearing giggling, Duer hushed the TARDIS as he quietly walked around the console then headed for the coral and smiled. He watched the small, black ball moving side to side as he moved closer then grabbed the small, black ball and heard soft voices coming from the small, black ball. Opening his hand, Duer looked at the small, black ball as it floated into the air and noticed that it was a camera ball.

"Well, hello there, who is spying on me?" he asked.

"Hi, Daddy!" came from the small, black ball as he smiled and shook his head.

"Hey there, Butterfly, mind telling me what's going on?"

"Nope, I can't tell you."

"But Daddy thinks he's going bonkers because things keep disappearing then reappearing somewhere else."

"Like your 'nana milkshake?"

"Yeah, just like that."

"Did you see what we did in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, that was really clever."

"I thought it was funny when you saw that the bread was on the refrigerator."

"Yeah, it was funny. Was that you I heard giggling?"

"Yep," Faith said, popping the "p".

"Mind telling me how you did that?"

"I didn't do it. Cameron did," she said when Duer heard a sigh and softly smiled, leaning on the coral.

"Nice going," Cameron said as Duer thought for a few seconds then rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Ah, you're running tests on your teleportation device, eh?" Duer asked.

"Yeah," Cameron sighed.

"Mind telling me how this spy camera got into the TARDIS?"

"I left it there months ago," Cameron said and Duer frowned, thinking for a few seconds.

"And how long have you been testing the teleportation device?"

"For the last few months," Cameron said when Duer smiled and rolled his eyes.

"That would explain why things have been disappearing then reappearing," he said and Faith giggled.

"Sorry about that," Cameron said and Duer softly laughed.

"That's ok."

"And everything tastes ok?" Cameron asked as Duer nibbled on the half of sandwich and chewed, switched chewing from one side of his mouth to the other. Swallowing, he walked to the console when he picked up the banana milkshake and sipped on it.

"Yep, everything tastes fine," he said when the small black ball vanished and he felt a tiny tingling sensation on the palm of his hand. Shrugging, he placed the half of the sandwich back on the plate then picked the plate and glass up, sitting down on the jump seat. The TARDIS made a cup holder in the arm of the jump seat as he placed the glass in the hole then placed his feet on the console and started eating his sandwich.


	158. Chapter 158

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Eight

Hope opened the garage door and peeked inside at the TARDIS. The front door was open and she could hear music playing inside. Curiosity got the better of her and she stepped inside and walked over to it. She looked inside and noticed that the lights in the console room were blinking on and off in sync to the music. Smiling, she wandered inside. She wandered over to the console and listened. The TARDIS was playing the Beach Boys' song Kokomo. She looked around but she couldn't see any sign of her father. Rain had just arranged a shopping trip with all their children and she asked Hope to go see if her father wanted to come with them.

"Hey, where's Daddy?" she finally asked the TARDIS.

The TARDIS moved a room to the back door and Hope followed her father's singing to it. She peeked in and saw the library. The library was vast, filled with thousands of shelves and wooden tables, but to her surprise there was now a swimming pool in the middle of it. At the end of the pool was a high rise diving board and at the top, preparing to dive, was her father. He was dressed in blue swim trunks and was singing Kokomo as he reached the top of the ladder and stepped out onto the diving board. The Doctor saw her coming inside and waved.

"Look at this, my love. I got a brilliant idea. Put the swimming pool inside the library so I can swim and then relax by the pool and read, isn't that great?"

"Mummy wants to know if you wanna go shopping with her and me and sissies and bubbies," Hope said, walking towards him.

"But…swimming pool in the library, look," the Doctor said, pointing to the water.

"Okay, you're not going with us," Hope said, turning around and heading to the door.

"Whoa there, I didn't say that!" the Doctor yelled. "You just stand right there and be my audience because I'm going to do a beautiful swan dive for you before we go!"

The Doctor stepped out onto the board and adjusted an imaginary swim cap. Then he stood there for a moment making his chest muscles move before he began striking manly poses.

"You gonna jump?" Hope called up to him.

"One moment. I'm being a famous Olympian diver competing for the gold medal!" the Doctor yelled to her before he flexed his muscles again.

He adjusted his boxers, adjusted them again, scratched his ass and then walked to the back of the diving board. He adjusted his imaginary swim cap again and then he sped across the board. He yelled as he leapt out, tucked his legs under him and did a cannonball into the cold water. He came up for air and swam over to the side closest to his daughter.

"Well, did I win the gold?" he asked her.

"No, you win the silly daddy thing," Hope said.

She squealed and ran away when the Doctor sloshed some water up towards her before he climbed out. He sat on the edge and looked at his daughter.

"I thought I was magnificent," he said. "A perfect 10 dive if I do say so myself, so nyah!" he added, sticking out his tongue.

Hope ran up to him. The Doctor smiled at her but the smile fell off his face when she leaned over and sucked some of the water off his back. He snickered when she made a face and stuck out her tongue.

"That's chlorinated water. I don't think it tastes good, so in future, I wouldn't drink it, loopy poopy," he said to her.

"You going shopping with us?" Hope asked.

"What will you give me if I do?"

"Respect."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow while she laughed.

"Aren't you s'posed to give me that anyway?" he asked.

"No."

The Doctor stared at her for a moment and then shook his head. Hope squealed when a few droplets of water got on her and the Doctor laughed when she ran away out of his reach. He sighed and got up.

"Ooooh, I s'pose I'll go shopping with you lot," he said to her. "Never mind that Alan lives for that sort of thing. No…it's Daddy do this, Daddy do that, Daddy be there for me every second. Not a moment's peace for me, never, never, never."

"I'm gonna go tell Mummy now," Hope said, running out of the room.

"Yes, go tell Mummy I'm your slave and I must do everything you say! Never a moment's peace for me, never, never, never!" the Doctor yelled while Hope ran out giggling.

Hope ran into the living room and smiled when she saw Tara sitting with Rain.

"There's my sissy!" Tara yelled as Hope dashed to her with arms outstretched.

Tara grabbed her, picked her up and spun her around while Hope laughed. Then she laid her on the floor, followed her down and Hope squealed while she tickled her mercilessly.

"NO!" Hope squealed while Tara tickled her.

"YOU!"

Tara looked up when the Doctor appeared in the garage doorway, fully dressed. His eyes were blazing with anger and Tara paused.

"How dare you tickle her without my assistance!" he yelled as he ran over.

Tara laughed when he fell to his knees and helped her tickle Hope. Then he hugged Tara when they let up after a moment.

"Nice to see you again, Star. I heard we're going to do some shopping?" he said.

"Yeah and…were you swimming? You smell like a chlorine factory," Tara said, wrinkling her nose.

"I bathe in chlorine. I find it keeps me young and pretty," the Doctor said with a sniff. "Besides, the wife loves the scent."

"Heh, guess again, buster," Rain said.

"Buster? Who's Buster? You been sleeping around again?" the Doctor said, eyeing Rain while Tara laughed.

"Yuk, yuk, very funny, Robin Williams," Rain said, rolling her eyes.

"Robin Williams? You've had an affair with him? Isn't he a bit hairy?"

Tara laughed when Rain walked over and swatted his head. The Doctor rose up, picked Hope up and held her close to him while he walked over to the sofa.

One by one his other children came to the house and finally Dex was the last to arrive with Amelia and Opal. The Doctor stared at his grandchildren as they came inside.

"I believe the call was for children, there was no grand before it," he said to them.

"Tough, we wanted to come along anyway," Amelia said.

"Yeah, we feel like shopping," Opal added.

"I feel like swimming but apparently I have to go and play daddy to a bunch of brats that seem to be mine," the Doctor said. "However, if you want to come along, I suppose I'll have to include you as well. Just behave yourself and I'm directing that especially for you, Amelia."

"Amy."

The Doctor frowned.

"Sorry?"

"Call me Amy," Amelia said.

"Um…why?"

"I like it. Amy sounds cooler."

"Like I said….Amelia…you will behave yourself," the Doctor said before walking away.

"My name is Amy now, Papaw!" Amelia said while Opal giggled.

Meanwhile, Hope was about to go over to her father when she was suddenly surrounded by the Doctor's daughters. They all looked down at her while she stood in the center of them, staring up at them.

"So…what shall we do with this one?" Tara asked her sisters.

"I think we should carry her upside down the entire day," Dorothy said.

"I think we should grab a large sack and put her in it and carry it on a pole," Jenny said.

"You leave me alone, I'm gonna go be with Daddy now," Hope said to them.

She started to walk away but the others kept the circle intact and moved with her until she reached the Doctor.

"Daddy, they're being weird again," Hope yelled to the Doctor.

The Doctor stared at his giggling daughters while Chaska glanced at Dex and rolled his eyes. Amelia and Opal laughed and quickly joined the circle.

"Are you preparing to dogpile the youngest and weakest one then?" the Doctor asked them.

"No, we were sorta thinking about putting her in a sack and carrying her on a pole through the shopping center," Sokanon said.

"And then we could play piñata with her," Namid added.

"Or I could bring along my katana and poke her bum with it," Emi added.

The Doctor stared at them while they laughed.

"Love," the Doctor said to Rain, "I think we need to put the youngest in a suit of armor this afternoon, what do you think?"

"Behave and let your sister shop in peace," Rain said to her daughters.

"We can't play kickball with her?" Tara asked.

"No, you can't play kickball with your baby sister," Rain said.

"Can we poke her?" Namid said, poking Hope's arm.

"Leave me alone," Hope said, walking out of the circle to her father's side. "You leave me alone, Sissies, or I'll scream."

"I have a feeling this will be a long, long day," the Doctor said to Rain while his adult daughters giggled.


	159. Chapter 159

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Nine

The warmth of the sun woke him as Hamish sighed and rolled onto his back. He reached his hand across the mattress when he realized that the bed was empty and he opened his eyes, the familiar darkness greeting him like it did every morning. Sighing, he sat up when he reached over for the stick but only felt empty air and he blinked, reaching down and moved his hand along the floor. He reached out some more when he slid off the bed and landed with a thud.

"Shite!" he grumbled when he heard footsteps running up the stairs and he got onto his hand and knees, reaching out with his hands as he tried to find the stick.

"Are ye alright?" Lucy asked as she ran into the room and saw him crawling aimlessly on the floor. "Hamish, what are ye doing?"

"I cannae find my stick!" he shouted as she ran to him, knelt down and hushed him, wrapping her arms around him. He pushed her away as he got up and staggered around the room, trying to find the bathroom doorway.

"Let me…"

"No, I can find it!" he shouted then felt the edge of the doorway to the bathroom and walked inside, closing the door behind him. Sighing, Lucy sat against the side of the bed when she saw the stick had rolled under the bed and slid it out from under the bed, got up and walked to the bathroom door. Knocking, she opened the door then looked inside and saw Hamish standing near the toilet, his hands on either side of the lid. She could see that he was shaking as she carefully walked to him and felt her hearts breaking. She knew as well as anyone how frustrated he got and stood next to him, seeing the tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Are ye sure that ye're alright?" she asked softly as he reached out with his hand and she took his hand. She gently pulled him toward her as she wrapped her arms around him and placed her head against his shoulder. "Hush now, it's alright."

"No, it's nae alright," he whispered as she rubbed his back and reached out with her mind, pulling Jamie's mind forward.

"_Father, may I have words with ye?" _she thought as she put up a privacy block and Jamie felt the concern in her mind.

"_What's wrong?" _Jamie thought.

"_Hamish is having one of his bad days. Can ye come over an'…."_

"_I'll be right there," _Jamie thought as she let his mind go then looked at Hamish. He had his eyes closed as he held her tighter and she bent his head down, kissing his lips.

"Where did ye go?" he whispered.

"I was talking with yer father," she said and he nodded, holding her tighter.

"I hate this," he whispered and she rubbed his back, sending love into his mind.

"I ken," she said then kissed his lips again and set the stick against the toilet.

Jamie knew better than anyone what it was like when Hamish had a bad day. He had seen more than his fair share of them and half ran down the pavement. He knew that his first wife blamed herself for Hamish being blind and he scolded himself for secretly blaming her as well. He sighed when he saw Namid walking down the pavement when he got an idea and smiled, waving his arm to get her attention.

"Hello, Uncle Jamie," she said as she came closer and he smiled at her.

"Lass, I need your help," he said and she gave him a concerned look.

"What's the matter?"

"It's Hamish. He's having one of his bad days."

"What do you mean?"

"It's when his blindness gets too much for him. He gets depressed an' his temper flares. Most times, he just sits an' broods all day, but I think this is one of those days where he'll go off an' do something stupid."

"You mean like get into a fight?"

"Aye, that's what he might go off an' do," Jamie said with a nod of his head and Namid sighed.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I was hoping that you would come an' talk tae him."

"Because I know what he's going through," she said and Jamie felt his hearts hurting for using her being blind as a way to cheer his son up.

"You dinnae have tae," he said but she shook her head and smiled.

"No, that's fine," she said then placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled. "And you don't have to feel guilty about asking me to talk to him."

"It's just that I feel like I'm using you," he sighed and she softly laughed.

"f I felt like that's what you were doing, I would have said no," she said and Jamie nodded. Taking his hand, they headed down the pavement and Namid swung his hand back and forth.

Lucy opened the door when she let Jamie and Namid inside and frowned, wondering what Namid was doing there.

'Where are the girls?" Jamie asked.

"I sent them over tae Frazer's," Lucy said and Jamie nodded.

"Where's Hamish?" Jamie asked as Lucy blinked then looked at him.

"He's upstairs. Why is she here?" Lucy asked, nodding her head toward Namid.

"Uncle Jamie asked me to come and talk with Hamish," Namid said and Lucy smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Good luck with that. When he's in a mood, there is no talking him out of it," she said as Namid smiled and headed for the stairs.

"Oh, I think I can get him to open up," she said then ran up the stairs and Lucy looked at Jamie. He shrugged then went to sit on the couch and Lucy went to sit next to him.

Namid found Hamish sitting with his back against the headboard and slowly walked to the bed. Sitting on the bed, she took his hand but Hamish looked straight ahead and she reached over, stroking his hair.

"Is there anyone home?" she teased while he blinked but didn't answer her. Sighing, she moved closer when she sat on his lap, placed her fingers against his temples and closed her eyes. Setting up a privacy block, she reached out with her mind when she felt his mind but it seemed to be blocked and she mentally tapped on the block.

"Please, Teacher, let me in," she whispered when she felt the privacy block lower and his mind crept into hers. Suddenly the world changed as she stood on top of a hill and she could smell the heather in the air. Walking down the hill, she saw Hamish standing near a paddock and several horses were running around the paddock. She walked closer when she stood next to him and looked at the horses.

"Father showed me what they looked like," he finally said and she nodded, placing her hand on top of his. "He sent for ye, did he?"

"No, but he did ask me to come and try and cheer you up," she said with a smile and he sighed, slightly smiling back.

"Because ye understand better than most what it's like tae be blind," he said and it was more of a statement then a question.

"Yeah, I guess that's why," she said as she nodded and he brushed some hair from his eyes.

"Then he shouldnae have bothered," he sighed and she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"What's really going on?" she asked and he stood up, looking her in the eyes. He knew that he could see inside his own head as he took her face in her hands and smiled at her,

"I can see in here. I mean really see. There is colors, shapes an' alike an' it is hard nae tae want tae stay here," he said and she placed her hands on his hands.

"But it's not real," she whispered and he smiled.

"I ken that, but it doesnae make it any less real when I open my eyes. What if this is the real world an' that's the dream? If it is a dream, why would I want tae open my eyes? Take a look around ye," he said then let go of her head and leaned on the fence. "This is how I see the world."

"This is the world you grew up in?" she asked and he nodded. "What about Lucy and the girls?"

"What aboot them?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Are they here?"

"I'm nae sure if they are or nae. I havenae looked for them."

"That's because they're not here."

"How do I ken that they're there when I'm awake? How do I ken that anything is real?" he asked and she noticed that the angry look in his eyes.

"I do understand what you're saying. My family used to show me the world, but it took me seeing it for the first time to really understand what is real and what isn't," she said and stroked his hair.

"But ye were finally able tae see the world. I'll never be able tae see."

"What, are you saying that all your lives are going to be blind?" she asked with a smile and he glared at her.

"I dinnae ken," he sighed and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"Well, if you lock yourself away in here, you might never find out," she said and he blinked.

"Aye," he said with a nod of his head.

"So, are you going to get up and face the day or are you just going to be a lump and sulk. If it were me, I would find something fun to do."

"Like what?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Do you trust me?" she asked and he gave her a worried look then nodded his head, making her smile.


	160. Chapter 160

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty

"Right, here we go," Namid said as she led Hamish down the stairs and Lucy and Jamie looked at them, getting off the couch. Hamish was dressed in a blue denim shirt, jeans, a black leather belt and white converse sneakers and the stick was in his left hand. He held onto Namid's hand as he squeezed her fingers and she smiled.

"Good morning, Son," Jamie said and Hamish nodded. He still looked troubled as Lucy walked closer and stroked his cheek.

"How are you feeling?" Lucy asked and Hamish sighed, blinking his eyes a few times.

"Never mind that," Namid said as she led Hamish to the door and Lucy frowned, folding her arms over her chest.

"And where do ye think ye're going with my husband?" she asked.

"Well, Uncle Jamie asked me to help Hamish cheer up and that that's what I'm going to do," Namid said as she opened the door and they walked outside the house. Lucy gasped when Namid closed the door in her face and Hamish could hear Lucy shouting something rude in Gaelic.

"She is going tae be really angry when we get back," he said and Namid smiled, taking his hand.

"She'll get over it," she said when they heard someone coming and turned, seeing Jamie coming closer.

"I thought I'd come along with you two. Lucy's having a royal fit," he said and Namid nodded.

"I'm sorry aboot all this, Father," Hamish said when Jamie walked on the other side of him and the stick clicked on the pavement.

"There is na' tae be sorry aboot. I remember what it was like when you got like this. Do you remember that day I took you fishing?" Jamie asked and Hamish smiled.

"Aye, I remember that day. You dinnae put the bait on a hook. You tied it tae the line so I wouldn't catch myself."

"Aye, an' who was it that caught the most fish?" Jamie teased and ruffled Hamish's hair.

"Well, that's because I was standing in a sweet spot," Hamish teased and Namid smiled at both of them.

"An' what aboot the time that…." Jamie said then stopped talking and looked at the three men that were walking toward them.

"Father, what's wrong?" Hamish asked softly then sniffed the air and blinked. Reaching out with his right hand, he gently pushed Namid behind him as the men came closer and Jamie balled his hands into fists. The men were tall and were wearing long black robes. All were bald headed and one of them was missing his left eye. The men stopped in front of them while Jamie moved in front of Hamish and Namid and the one of the men smiled at Jamie.

"Hello, McCrimmon," he said as Jamie growled and Namid looked out from behind Hamish, sending out a call for help.

"Hello, Duxnin," Jamie said.

"It's been a long time," Duxnin said and cracked his neck side to side. "Where is that sister of yours?"

"Long dead," Jamie said and Duxnin gave him a look of fake pity.

"Aw, that is too bad. So where is that blonde bitch you travel with?"

"Right behind you," Jenna said as she aimed a pair of laser guns at the men and the men turned around, looking at her. Duxnin and his men were mercenaries that Jamie and Jenna knew from their days as bounty hunters and both Jamie and Jenna knew that they were natural born killers. When they had last seen him, Duxnin and his men were being chased by an angry mob and Jenna tilted her head to one side. "I heard that you three were in this universe. I didn't think you have the power to cross over."

"Oh, Jenny Girl, we have the power to do a lot of things," Duxnin said and the other men laughed.

"But how can you be alive after all this time?"

"You forget that my boys and I are immortal?" he asked as he looked at Jamie and tilted his head to one side. "Can you say the same?"

"Well, we're not exactly immortal…" a voice said when Duxnin looked to his left and saw Duer, his entire family and friends standing around them and Duer walked closer, his eyes growing black. "Mind telling me what this all about?"

"This doesn't concern you, Bean Pole," Duxnin said and Adam's mouth fell open.

"Oh, he just didn't say that," he said and Alan nodded.

"It does when it comes to my family," Duer said, walking closer.

"Now you're going to get it," Adam said while Hamish sighed and rolled his eyes. Namid could see in his eyes that all the anger and frustration was building to the breaking point as she placed a hand on his shoulder, making him turn his head toward her.

"Don't do anything stupid," she whispered and he squeezed his fingers on the stick.

"Is this the fun that ye wanted me tae have?" he whispered and she sighed, lowering her head.

Hamish moved closer while the stick clicked on the pavement and he stood next to Jamie. "Ye heard the man. Why are ye after my father an' mother?"

"Get a load of this guy,' Duxnin said as the men laughed and Jamie looked at Hamish, seeing the anger in his eyes.

"Hamish, no," Jamie whispered and Hamish flexed his fingers on the stick.

"Are ye going tae answer me?" Hamish asked and Duxnin walked closer, locking eyes with Hamish.

"I'll answer you when you answer why you're calling them your mother and father. You look more like his younger brother," Duxnin said and the men laughed.

"I'm the son from his first marriage," Hamish said and Duxnin smiled.

"So Jenny Girl isn't the first whore he's slept with," he said and Duer growled. He took two steps toward the men when the Doctor gently grabbed his arm and shook his head.

"What did you call my mother?" Hamish asked, his eyes growing wide.

"I said she was a whore," Duxnin said with a smile. "What are you going to do about it?"

Hamish blinked a few times when his mind crept back to the paddock and he looked around. Duer once told him that everyone has a happy place, a place where they go when things go wrong, and this was his. It was safe but the world wasn't always safe. No matter what, things go wrong and it didn't matter if he could see or not. Where he was right now was reality and he wasn't going to let some bastard belittle his mother like that. It was true that Jenna wasn't his birth mother, but she was his mother and he lifted his chin, half closing his eyes.

"I'm going tae take all of ye, that's what," he said and Duxnin laughed.

"Oh, sure, you're going to fight all of us with nothing more than a big stick," Duxnin said as Hamish walked closer and placed the stick across his shoulders, locking eyes with him.

"That is EXACTLY what I am going tae do," he said and Jennae looked over at Jamie.

"_Jamie, do something, he can't fight them," _Jenna thought after setting up a privacy block.

"_I'm afraid we're going tae have tae," _Jamie thought and she sighed, looking at Hamish.

"Oh, this is going to be good," Duxnin said when he opened the robe and the robe dropped to the ground. Nearly seventy percent of his body was covered in metal and a green light pulsated behind the glass embedded in his chest.

"He's cybernetic," Donna said as Duxnin smiled at her and winked.

"Yeah, living nearly forever puts a lot of wear and tear on the organs," he said while the other men dropped their robes and the only part of one man that wasn't covered in metal was his head.

"Does that mean that I dinnae have tae hold back then?" Hamish asked as he twirled the stick around then tucked it under his left arm.

"No, it means that you're in for a world of pain!" Duxnin said then lunged at him but Hamish heard him coming and stepped out of the way, swinging the stick and cracking Duxnin in the back of his head. Duxnin screamed then stumbled forward as blood rolled down the back of his neck and he turned, glaring at Hamish. Roaring, Duxnin charged at Hamish when Hamish swung the stick and connected with Duxnin's stomach, sending him falling to the ground.

"Whoa, how can he be doing that?" Adam whispered and Alan shrugged. The other men roared as they came at Hamish but he spun around and swung the stick, hitting both men in the chest and head. The men fell to the ground when Jenna and Jamie appeared next to Hamish and held laser guns in their hands.

"That's impossible! We were beaten by a guy with a stick!" Duxnin shouted and Hamish smiled.

"No, ye were beaten by a BLIND guy with a stick!" he said and Duxnin's eyes went wide.

"Fuck," Duxnin said as Jamie looked at Hamish and patted his shoulder.

After the Doctor and Duer took Duxnin and his men to Volag Nok, Jamie came to see Hamish and Hamish was standing near the bedroom window, feeling the warmth of the setting sun on his face.

"Hamish?" he asked as Hamish turned around and Jamie walked closer, placing his hand on Hamish's shoulder. "Are you alright, Lad?"

"Aye, Father, I am," he said with a nod of his head.

"I am so sorry."

"What do ye have tae be sorry aboot? It's nae yer fault that I get like this," he said and Jamie sighed, nodding his head.

"I get that, but you have tae remember that you're nae alone."

"It feels that way."

"I believe that you think so, an' I have no right tae tell you otherwise, but you're nae. I should have never put that scene into your head. I did it so you…" Jamie said when Hamish reached out his hand and placed it on Jamie's shoulder.

"Father, I could always see when I was asleep. Why do ye think it was so hard tae get me up in the morning? It could have been so easy for me tae stay that way. The reason I didnae was because I knew that it would be wrong tae stay asleep. True, I do get confused, an' I think I always will be confused, but what Namid said made sense. How do I ken that I will be blind for the rest of my lives? I might nae be, and that is something I want tae be awake tae see," he said with a smile and Jamie smiled back.

"So the next time you get like this, all I have tae do is find someone for you tae beat up?" Jamie said with smile and Hamish laughed.

"Well, no, but ye could take me fishing," he said and Jamie patted Hamish's shoulder.

"Aye, that sounds a whole lot safer," he said then thought of something. "By the way, how did you beat those men with your stick? It's made of wood."

"Did ye think I have only one stick?" Hamish asked when he walked over to what Jamie thought was the wardrobe and Hamish opened the door, showing Jamie a wide variety of sticks. He had asked the TARDIS to make him sticks of different lengths and out of different material, just in case he lost or broke the stick, and they were hung on several pegs with Braille labels to tell him which stick was which. Hamish could sense Jamie's shocked look as he smiled and leaned carefully against the wardrobe door.


	161. Chapter 161

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty One

Opening the door, Jenna was surprised to see Duer and four year old Faith standing on the porch and Duer placed his hands behind his back, smiling at her.

"Hello, Miss, I was wondering if you would like to join me and my sweet, little girl here for a day of fun and silliness," he said and Jenna pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.

"And why would I want to do that?" she asked.

"It is "Daddy and Daughter Day"."

"I didn't know there was such a thing as "Daddy and Daughter Day"," she said and his eyes went wide.

"You didn't? Well, allow us to enlightened you by accompanying us on an adventure," he said and Jenna tapped her finger against her lips.

"Ok, let me go tell Jamie," she said then turned when Faith pulled gently on her wrist and she looked down at her.

"Ask him if he wants to come, too," she said and Duer's mouth fell open.

"Hold on, this is "Daddy and Daughter Day" not "Daddy, Daughter and Daddy's Favorite Companion Day"!" he said and Faith giggled.

"But I want him to come, too!" Faith said, crossing her arms over her chest and pouted.

"Oh, ok, go ask if he wants to come," Duer sighed and Jenna nodded, going back inside the house. He looked down at Faith as she smiled up at him and he rolled his eyes. "I just wanted to spend the day with my daughters, but can I do that? No, I have to have HIM come as well! It is so not fair!"

"But I like Uncle Jamie."

"Butterfly, Jamie isn't your uncle."

"He isn't?"

"No, he's your brother-in-law."

"He is?"

"Yep, because he's married to Jenna and Jenna is your sister. So, that makes Jamie a brother of sorts."

"Oh!" Faith said as she smiled then took his hand and started playing with his fingers. "Then it's ok for him to come?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod of his head and Faith smiled up at him.

Culloden, Scotland

Duer had decided to take Faith to see the battlefield as they stood at the marker and Jamie held Jenna close to his side.

"'The Battle of Culloden was fought on this moor 16th April 1746 – The graves of the gallant highlanders who fought for Scotland and Prince Charlie are marked by the names of their clans.'" Duer said while reading the marker and Faith looked over at Jamie, seeing the sadness in his eyes.

"Are you ok, Jamie?" she asked as he looked down at her and nodded. She took his hand as Jamie wrapped his fingers around hers and lightly squeezed her fingers.

"Hey, Doc…Dad, do you remember where you parked the TARDIS when you came here in seventeen forty-six?" Jamie asked as Duer looked around the battlefield and sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

"No, I'm afraid I've forgotten," he said and Jamie sighed, lightly swinging Faith's hand back and forth.

"Then let's go find out!" Faith said as she gently pulled on Jamie's hand and Jamie smiled, following after her. Jenna lightly laughed as Duer shrugged and they went to catch up with them. They stayed on the paths as they looked around when Jamie saw a familiar tree and looked around then walked off the path.

"Jamie, no, you can't go out there," Duer whispered as he followed him and Jenna took Faith's hand, following after Duer. Jamie walked onward when he looked at the tree then smiled, turned and looked at them.

"This is where the TARDIS stood when you invited me tae come travel with you," he said when Duer took out the sonic screwdriver and scanned the area. He was amazed to find faint energy readings as he smiled and placed the sonic screwdriver back in his pocket.

"You're right," he said when Faith pulled on Jamie's hand and he looked down at her.

"Can we look around some more?" she asked.

"No, we have to go back to the path before we get in trouble," Jenna said and Faith sighed, nodding her head. They started walking back when Jamie stopped and a cold chill moved through him. Glancing around, he felt like he was being watched and shivered. Jenna turned around when she noticed that Jamie was still standing by the tree and walked back to him. "You ok, Highland?"

"I think we're being watched," he whispered as she looked around and went for her laser, sighing when she realized that she wasn't armed. Jamie looked to his left when he noticed a mist forming then something moved out of the mist and his eyes went wide. "Stay away from me!"

Jenna frowned when Jamie ran off across the battlefield then turned and called for Duer. Duer ran closer while holding onto Faith and frowned, seeing Jamie scrambling across the battlefield.

"Where is he going?" he asked, handing Faith to Jenna.

"I don't know. He was just standing here then saw something and ran,' she said and Duer sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Take Faith back to the TARDIS and I'll go get him," he said as she nodded and walked away. Duer ran after Jamie when he saw Jamie standing on the top of a hill and could feel the fear in Jamie's mind.

"Jamie, what's wrong?" he thought and Jamie looked toward him, blinking his eyes a few times.

"Cannae you see them?" Jamie thought.

"What are you talking about?"

"Cannae you see the ghosts?"

"Jamie, there is nothing here. Now come down and we'll go back to the TARDIS."

"But I can see them!"

"Blimey, I shouldn't have brought you here. Now, please, come down," Duer thought but Jamie backed up when he lost his balance and tumbled down the hill.

"NO!" Duer said as he ran up the hill and stood at the top of the hill, looking down at Jamie. Jamie was lying on his stomach and was covered in mud and grass. Sighing, Duer ran down the hill, kneeling down next to him. Jamie was unconscious as blood rolled from the gash on his forehead and from his right hand. Duer's eyes went wide from seeing that Jamie's middle finger was almost sheared off from the rock his hand had landed on and he gently lifted Jamie's right hand, removing a handkerchief from his pocket.

"Dad, what happened to Jamie? His mind just blinked out!" Jenna thought and Duer told her what happened. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to bring the TARDIS here and tell her to move the medical bay near the control room," Duer thought then felt her mind moving away and looked down at Jamie, stroking his hair.

Jamie felt a dull pain moving up his right arm when he moaned and his head thumped in time with his hearts. Half opening his eyes, he saw the blurry ceiling then blinked his eyes a few times and his vision cleared. He looked around when he noticed that he was in the medical bay then sighed, glancing up at the plastic bags hanging from the metal pole. One of the plastic bags had blood in it and the other had a clear liquid and he lifted his left hand, seeing the tube taped to the back of his hand.

"Blimey," he whispered when the doors hissed open and the sound of small feet coming closer made him turn his head. Faith climbed on the chair next to the bed then sat down as he smiled at her and she moved her finger along the back of his hand. "Hello."

"I'm sorry," she sighed and he pouted, sticking his lower lip out.

"Eh?" he asked, scrunching his face.

"I'm sorry that I made you show me where Daddy parked the TARDIS. If I hadn't done that, you wouldn't have run off and gotten hurt."

"Ah, well, that's nae why I ran off," he said and she tilted her head to one side.

"Then why did you run away?"

"I'm nae really sure. I thought I saw redcoats coming across the moor an' ran, fearing that they were going tae kill me."

"But Daddy said that there was no one there."

Sighing, Jamie carefully lifted up his right hand when he saw the cast and tilted his head to one side. Only his thumb stuck out of the cast and the cast ended just above his elbow. Lowering his hand, he looked at the ceiling when Faith poked him gently in the chest and he looked at her, giving her a small smile.

"Did I break my wrist?"

"Yeah, and you nearly cut your middle finger off. You also banged your head and your left ankle's swollen," she said and he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Well, it's not the first time I cut that finger off."

"It's not?"

"Nope," he said then smiled, remembering the first time he lost his finger.

"Jamie McCrimmon, what in Heaven's name are you doing?" Polly asked when she walked into the living room, seeing Ben and Jamie sitting at the card table and Jamie had the tip of his dirk's blade balanced in the crease of his right middle finger. The dirk wiggled back and forth as he tried to balance it then looked over at Polly and smiled.

"I'm going tae show Ben a trick that Alexander taught me," he said.

"What sort of trick?"

"I'm going tae flick my dirk into the air an' catch the tip of the blade between my fingers," Jamie said and Polly's mouth fell open.

"No, you're not!" she half shouted and Ben smiled, rolling his eyes.

"Come on, Duchess, he's already done it twice. I bet him a tenner that he can't do it three times in a row," Ben said and Polly walked closer, taking the dirk in her hand.

"I can't believe that you're encouraging such behavior," she said then looked at Jamie, wagging the dirk at him. "And you shouldn't be doing things like that. It's way too dangerous."

"It's nae dangerous," Jamie said, taking the dirk back and placed the point of the dirk's blade back in the crease of his right middle finger.

"Please, Jamie, don't do it," she pleaded but Jamie just shook his head and flicked his hand, sending the dirk sailing up into the air. The dirk spun around while they watch the dirk and Jamie licked his lips. The dirk sailed down toward his hand when the TARDIS lurched to one side and they held onto the table. No one moved when the dirk landed on the table and Jamie's eyes went wide. "NO!"

"Oh shit!" Ben said as he stood up and took the handkerchief out of his pocket and ran to Jamie.

"Sorry about that, it appears that we hit a little bit of turbulence. Is everyone alright?" the Doctor's voice asked over the intercom and Polly ran to the intercom, pushing the button.

'No, Doctor, Jamie's been hurt!" she said.

"Oh dear, what has happened?" he asked.

"His right middle finger was severed and he is bleeding!"

"Take him to the medical bay and, Polly, please bring his finger," he said and Polly looked at Jamie, who looked like he was about to pass out.

"EW!" Faith said as Jamie smiled and shrugged.

"Lucky for me that your daddy was able tae put my finger back on," he said.

"Was Daddy mad at you?"

"Aye, he was, but he also blamed himself for what happened. True, he didnae ken what I was doing when it happened, but he still felt sorry that it happened," Jamie said and Faith giggled.

"Silly Daddy," she said and Jamie nodded his head then yawned, lightly shaking his head. "Are you getting sleepy?"

"Aye, I am," Jamie said then closed his eyes and Faith slid his hand into hers. She watched him go back to sleep when she felt like they were being watched when she looked at the doorway and saw Duer standing there. He walked to the chair when he placed his hand on Faith's shoulder and she smiled up at him.

"Are you mad at him, Daddy?" she asked.

"No, I'm not mad at him," he said and patted her shoulder.

"I think we should take him somewhere nice after he gets better."

"You want to have another "Daddy and Daughter Day"?"

"No, I want a "Daddy, Daughter and Son Day"."

"How about a "Daddy takes Mommy, Jenna, Faith, Cameron and Jamie somewhere nice Day"?" he asked as she looked at Jamie and smiled.

"Yeah, I like that idea," she said as he smiled then leaned down and kissed the top of her head, making her smile and she gently squeezed Jamie's fingers.


	162. Chapter 162

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Two

After everyone got into the TARDIS and the Doctor took it into the vortex, Hope went back to her bedroom on the timeship. She went inside the cheerfully decorated room and the moment she entered, the Sesame Street theme song began to play. Hope stopped and looked up at the ceiling before a smile broke out over her face and she began to sing along. She walked over to her bed and took her Barbie doll off it. As she walked out of the room, the Sesame Street music followed her and Hope giggled, knowing the TARDIS was doing it. She turned a corner and ran into Jenny, Emi, Amelia and Opal. They stared at her for a moment when she stopped in front of them and then Amelia pointed to the Barbie doll.

"Oh my God, Jenny has her own doll!" she said with feigned shock.

"Piss off, Amelia," Jenny said while the adult girls laughed.

They all stood there for a moment listening to C is for Cookie as it played above their heads.

"What's this rubbish?" Jenny finally said. "Why are we listening to baby music?"

"Um…because we're in the presence of a baby?" Opal said with a shrug.

"Leave me alone," Hope said, walking past them.

"Oops, little baby gonna cry now," Opal said.

"Leave me alone!" Hope yelled out as she walked off.

As she headed for the console room, the music followed her and she did a few little skips as the Sesame Street songs lifted her spirits. When she entered the console room, she noticed her father and Dex were by the console. The Doctor was gesturing to a few of the controls while they talked about the TARDIS. Both men paused when they heard Rubber Duckie suddenly playing above their heads. They glanced up as Hope walked up to them.

"What in the name of Rassilon is this music?" Dex asked.

"I believe it's Rubber Duckie from Sesame Street and I believe the old girl is playing it for the child's amusement," the Doctor said, gesturing to Hope.

"Where's Mummy?" Hope asked.

"I tied her to the back of the TARDIS so she can check for traffic while we fly," the Doctor said with wide eyes. "I keep running into cars in the vortex and I finally decided to use your mum as a lookout. Want me to tie you up beside her so you can chat?"

"No!" Hope said before running around Dex and hiding.

"Ok!" the Doctor said before he ran around the console and hid.

Hope giggled and came up beside her brother, taking his hand.

"Daddy's silly," Hope said, looking up at him.

"Yes. But he wasn't always this silly, at least not with me. You're lucky. You came along after he learned to relax and be more at ease with himself and others."

"I had a lot of demons to sort through and let go of," the Doctor said to him as he came around the console. "But now that I've let go of a lot of the things from the past, I can be a bit sillier than I used to be."

"See," Amelia said as the Doctor's daughters and granddaughters came into the room. "There's the baby's music, told ya we'd find the baby in here."

"Daddy, tell them to leave me alone. I'm not a baby," Hope said, walking up to her father while his daughters headed towards them.

"She's listening to baby music," Sokanon said, pointing up to the ceiling.

"Hmmm, they do have a valid point," the Doctor said.

He tousled Hope's hair and chuckled when Hope let out a puff of angry air at that. He picked her up and Hope wrapped her arms around him while he held her close to him. While he was doing that, Rain and Chaska came into the room. Chaska made a face when he heard It's Not Easy Being Green playing above him.

"Ugh! Do you have to play this rubbish, Daddy?" Chaska asked as they came up to him.

"Not my idea. Blame the TARDIS. She's the one playing it for your sister," the Doctor said. "Besides, you used to like this stuff. I got you a Tickle Me Elmo one year and you wore it out because you insisted on carrying it around all the time with ya."

The women all laughed as Chaska blushed deeply. The Doctor put his arm around him.

"Don't make fun of your sister, you aren't that far removed from your childhood," he said to his son.

Chaska was about to reply when the mobile rang in the Doctor's pocket. The Doctor sighed, pulled it out and flipped it open.

"Yes?" the Doctor said.

"Guess where I am?" Alan said to him.

"The seventh level of Hell. You found a way to get into Dante's Inferno and you're living it right now," the Doctor said.

"No, but that's an interesting idea. Have to see if I can do that sometime. Nope, I am in a Jacuzzi with the misses in a health spa on Zatron Nineteen. You?"

"No, I'm not in a Jacuzzi at the moment," the Doctor said.

"No, I mean, what are you doing this very moment?" Alan said.

"Standing in front of the monitor while the TARDIS flies through the vortex."

"Ah! And what misadventures are you going to get into?"

"Well…I s'pose we'll get into some misadventures while we go shopping."

There was a long pause.

"Shopping? You're going shopping and didn't think to ask us?" Alan finally said.

"Um…well, this was going to be for us and the children except Amelia and Opal apparently thought we wanted them here and tagged along," he said, glancing at them while the two women stuck their tongues out at them. "Besides, you and Rose are in a Jacuzzi at the moment."

"Yes but…shopping and…"

The Doctor heard a grunt followed by Rose saying "Give me that!" in the background.

"Doctor, never mind him. You go ahead and shop with your family if you want. He's being a whiny jealous baby as usual," Rose said to him.

"Am not," Alan said in the background.

The Doctor chuckled.

"If you and Alan want to come with us, you can. You know I don't mind having you lot come with us."

"Yes! Shopping trip!" Alan said in the background.

"Oi! Don't get me and mobile wet, you git!" Rose yelled as the Doctor heard splashing sounds. "He's already out of the Jacuzzi and getting dried off so I s'pose that means I have no choice now."

"Do you need me to send coordinates?" the Doctor said.

"Nah, we'll just track your TARDIS's artron energy signature and meet you when you land," Rose said.

"Okay, see you soon," the Doctor said before he hung up the phone and told the others what was happening.


	163. Chapter 163

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Three

Jamie slowly opened his eyes as he looked up at the blurry ceiling and blinked his eyes a few times. The pain from his ankle, wrist, finger and head had settled into a soft thudding sensation as he sighed then got the feeling that he wanted to sit up. Fumbling with his fingers, Jamie found the switch that made the bed move as he pushed the button and the bed slowly rose upward. He pushed the button again when he was sitting up enough that the room wasn't swimming around in small circles and the TARDIS blew cool air through his hair.

"Aye, I ken that I should be lying down. Just let me sit up for a bit. I promise I'll lie down if I feel dizzy," he grumbled when the doors opened and Faith walked into the room. "Hello."

"What are you doing?" she asked as she walked to the chair next to the bed and climbed onto the chair.

"I'm sitting up," he said with a smile and Faith pouted, knelt on the chair and placed her fists on her hips.

"No, you have to lie down!" she said as she looked for the button that made the bed move and he smiled at her.

"Says who?"

"My daddy says that you have to sleep and you can't sleep sitting up!"

"But I'm nae sleepy," Jamie said and she glared at him, scrunching up her nose.

"You have to lie down!" she said as Jamie rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Aye, alright, I'll lie down," he said as he pushed the button and the bed moved down until he was lying on his back. Faith helped him move the blankets up then sat on the chair and Jamie looked at her. "Now what am I supposed tae do?"

"You're supposed to be asleep."

"But I'm nae sleepy."

"I could tell you a story. I get sleepy when Daddy tells me stories," Faith said and Jamie smiled at her.

"Aye, I wouldnae mind a story," he said and she tapped her finger against her lips as she thought for a few seconds then smiled.

"Once upon a time, there was this little girl called Little Rose Riding Hood…" she said as Rose appeared in Jamie's head and she was wearing a little white dress, white ankle socks and black shoes. A red hood cape was around her shoulders and a wicker basket was in her hands.

"Um, can someone tell me why I'm dressed like this?" Rose asked as she looked up at the cartoon sky and Faith's head appeared in one of the clouds.

"I'm telling Jamie a story because he got hurt and Daddy wants him to sleep," Faith said.

"How did he get hurt?"

"Daddy took me, Jamie and Jenna on a trip to Scotland and Jamie got scared. He ran away and tumbled down a hill. He banged his head, his left ankle is all swollen and purple, his right wrist is broken and he nearly cut the middle finger of his right hand off."

"Ah, that would explain why his mind blinked out for a bit," Rose said then smiled and placed the red hood over her head. "Ok, let's get on with the story."

"Little Rose Riding Hood was walking in the forest. She was on her way to see her grandmother, who was feeling poorly," Faith said as Rose started skipping down the path and swung the basket back and forth. Suddenly she stopped when something moving behind the trees and she held the basket tightly in her hands. "She stopped when she heard something moving behind the trees. Out of the trees came the captain of the guard of the Great Wizard's castle and Little Rose Riding Hood smiled at him."

Rose had seen Jamie in his kilt before as he strolled out of the trees and was wearing a white, long sleeve shirt which was opened at the front and showed off his chest, a black leather belt, his sporran and kilt, a dirk sat in the holder on the belt, white socks and tan boots. A plaid that matched the tartan of his kilt hung across his right shoulder and was pinned with a gold broach near his left hip. A claymore was in the scabbard on his back as he looked at what he was wearing then at Rose and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Greetings, Sir," she said with a courtesy and he bowed.

"What brings ye out here all on yer one, Lass?" he asked.

"I am going to see my grandmother. She is poorly and I am bringing her some food."

"Aye, well, ye best be on yer guard," he said as he moved closer and leaned his head toward her ear. "There be a very hungry wolf in these woods an' a sweet lass like ye would be a pleasant snack."

"I will be careful," Rose said with a nod of her head and Jamie walked away.

"Little Rose Riding Hood headed down the path again as she started singing when something came out of the trees and stood in front of her,' Faith said when Rose stopped and cupped her mouth with her hand. Dressed in wolf costumes covered in gray fur were Alan and Adam and Alan looked up at the cartoon sky.

"Oi, I thought there was only one wolf in this story," Alan said.

"I want two wolves!" Faith said as her face appeared in the clouds and she glared at them.

"Ah, I get it. One of us eats the granny and one of us eats her," Adam said as he nodded his head at Rose and she looked at Alan.

"Guess which one is going to be eating me," she said and Alan arched his eyebrows up and down at her.

"Well, lookie at what we have here, Brother," Alan said as he walked in a circle around Rose and she swatted his hand away as he tried to pinch her bottom.

"Hmm, she is a tasty treat if you like tarty moos," Adam said and Rose's eyes went wide.

"Why you…" she growled as Alan coughed then pointed up at Faith's face in the clouds and Rose sighed, rolling her eyes.

"So, tell me, Little Miss, where are you heading all on your own?" Alan asked as he bugged out his eyes and had his face inches from Rose's face.

"I am going to see my grandmother," Rose said as she pushed passed him when Adam took the wicker basket out of her hands and spun in a circle before she could get it back.

"And what do we have in here?" Adam asked as he looked under the cloth and smiled. "Ooo, there's Navajo tacos in here! Those are my favorite!"

"Give that back, you goof!" Rose said as she took the wicker basket from him and gently smacked his shoulder.

"Ow, that's wolf abuse! I'm telling!" Adam said as he ran off and Rose sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, no one smacks my little brother and gets away with it!" Alan said as he walked closer and glared at her. "I demand satisfaction!"

"Let me guess. Water guns to the death?" she asked and he crossed his arms over his chest, giving her a blank look.

"No, I have a better idea," Alan said then lifted his chin and walked away. Rose looked up as she heard giggling and smiled, shaking her head.

"The wolves ran away and Little Rose Riding Hood went down the path again," Faith said as Rose headed down the path when she came to a small cottage with tan walls, a stone chimney and a roof of yellow straw. The windows had shutters made of brown wood and the brown wooden door was covered with an archway. Rose walked closer when she stood in front of the door and she knocked on the door.

"The door was unlocked and Little Rose Riding Hood went inside her grandmother's house," Faith said as Rose opened the door and walked inside the cottage. A stone fireplace was to the back of the one room as a wooden table sat near the windows to the left and two wooden stools sat at each end of the table. Rose looked at the rest of the furniture when a low cough caught her attention and she turned, looking at the large, brass bed.

"You have to be kidding me," she whispered as she looked at Alan in the wolf costume snuggled under a pile of duvets and he was wearing a pink nightgown and nightcap.

"Is that you, Little Rose?" he asked in a high voice and she covered her mouth.

"Yes, uh, Nan, it's me," she said as Alan arched his eyebrows and smiled at her.

"Come a little closer, Dear, I can't see that well," he said as she moved closer to the bed and he squinted his eyes. "Ah, there you are."

"My, Nan, what big eyes you have," Rose said and Alan batted his eyelashes at her.

"Why, thank you, Dear," he said and she rolled her eyes.

"And, Nan, what big ears you have," she said and Alan gave her a blank look.

"Oi, that was my brother's ninth life, thank you very much! I have tiny, shell like ears," he said with a smug look.

"And, Nan, what big teeth you have," Rose said and his eyes went wide.

"Oi, enough with the demeaning remarks about my looks, I am a stud!" he shouted and Rose doubled over as she laughed. "Right, first you injure my poor brother then you make fun of my looks! Revenge is mine!"

"Oh like I am so scared of you," Rose said when the duvets fell off the bed and Alan stood on the bed with a large pillow in his hands. Pulling the furry glove off, he placed to fingers in his mouth then whistled and Adam came out from under the bed, an equally large pillow in his hands. "I'm not afraid of you either, Benji!"

"Pillow fight!" Adam shouted as he jumped on the bed and Rose laughed, pulling one of the pillows off the bed.

"WAIT!" Faith shouted as they looked up at the ceiling and Alan and Adam placed the pillows on the bed.

"What's wrong?" Alan asked.

"Jamie fell asleep. Thanks for helping me," she said as they told her that they hoped Jamie felt better soon and she gently leaned on the bed, kissing his cheek. Jamie smiled as Faith got off the chair then left the room and the doors closed behind her. A few second later the doors opened again as Duer walked into the room and stood by the bed, looking down at Jamie.

"You're not asleep, are you?" he asked when Jamie opened his eyes and grinned up at him.

"No, but I remember getting into a pillow fight with Alan and Adam once. They fight dirty an' I didnae want Rose tae get hurt," Jamie said then sighed and Duer softly laughed, nodding his head.

"Yeah, those two play rough," Duer said while looking at the screens then at Jamie and saw the look in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Faith didnae call me "Uncle Jamie". Is she mad at me?"

"No, we just explained that you're not her uncle because you're married to Jenna."

"Which makes me a brother of sort, aye?"

"Right," Duer said as he nodded his head and Jamie smiled.

"Well, I'm glad that she's nae mad at me," he said then looked at Duer and a serious look appeared on his face. "An' I dinnae want you tae feel guilty aboot what happened. I ken that what I saw was just my mind playing tricks on me. So, if anyone is to blame for me ending up in this bed, it's me!"

"Ok, um, is it ok if I took you, Frankie, Cameron, Jenna and Faith somewhere fun when you're feeling better?"

"Aye, I would like that," Jamie said then yawned and gently shook his head. "Och, now I am sleepy."

"Then go to sleep," Duer said as Jamie closed his eyes and Duer sat on the edge of the bed, watching him gently drift off to sleep.


	164. Chapter 164

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Four

While the TARDIS headed to its destination, the Doctor walked out of the console room so he could use the lavatory. While he was heading towards it, there was a shimmer in front of him and he froze when he saw the TARDIS's three dimensional female representation standing in front of him.

"Is…there a problem?" the Doctor asked.

"I have a thought, Beloved," the TARDIS replied.

"And that thought is…"

"I know you like that suit," the TARDIS said, gesturing to his brown suit. "But I think it would be fun if you did something a bit unusual and unexpected for Hope's benefit."

"Such as?"

The TARDIS smiled and told him her idea.

Hope stood by the console holding her Barbie doll while her brothers and sisters stood nearby and chatted with Amelia and Opal. She watched the monitor, imagining what the Gallifreyan writing on the screen was saying and longing for the day when she could read it like the others. While she was doing that, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Jenny smiling at her.

"Leave me alone," Hope said, turning her attention back to the screen.

"Oi, I just wanted to ask my little sister if she wanted me to go shopping with her today," Jenny said.

"Oh, I thought you were gonna make fun of me again," Hope said.

Jenny wrapped her arms around her sister and kissed her cheek.

"I make fun of ya because I love ya so much," Jenny said as she sent love into her mind.

"What we gonna shop for?" Hope whispered to her.

"Dunno…toys?"

Jenny chuckled when Hope nodded eagerly at that and she gave her little sister a kiss on the cheek.

"Ta-da!"

Everyone turned around when they heard the Doctor and they froze when they noticed he was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. The t-shirt had a large photo of Elmo on it, arms outstretched with TICKLE ME above him in bold black lettering. Hope let out an ooo and walked over to it. The Doctor smiled as she stared at Elmo intently.

"Elmo," Hope said, pointing to it.

"What? Where?" the Doctor said, jerking his head around while Hope giggled.

"What does that say?" Hope said, pointing to the lettering above Elmo.

The Doctor told her and laughed loudly when she did just what the lettering said. He patted her on the head and put his hand on her back when she hugged him around the middle. Rain came into the room and slowed down when she saw his outfit.

"Oh my God, he's gone casual," she said while the others laughed.

"Yes, this was my ship's suggestion. She thought little Hopey might like it," he said, pointing to the t-shirt.

"He's got Elmo on his shirt, Mummy," Hope said, pointing to him.

"I see that, baby," she said, rubbing her head as she walked over to him. "I like the new look. It's nice to see you being casual for a change."

"Well, I'll do anything for my Hopey's happiness," the Doctor said.

"Even strip down and roll in chocolate?" Amelia asked.

"Um…almost anything," the Doctor said while the women laughed.

The TARDIS landed in the car park of a large shopping center in London in the year 2060. The building was made out of plate glass and steel and the glass gleamed in the afternoon sun. The Doctor closed the door of his TARDIS and leaned against it while he waited for his brother to show up. While he was doing that, he looked down when Hope tugged on his t-shirt.

"You didn't park it like a car," Hope said, pointing to the TARDIS.

"I know. That's because it's a TARDIS," the Doctor said.

"But…"

Hope pointed to the cars on either side of them.

"You see. The cars are in these places here," she said, walking over to the car on their left. "And you need to do that too."

"But this is a TARDIS," the Doctor said to her while everyone laughed. "I'm parked properly in the parking space, trust me."

"Nuh-uh, you gotta put it on its side so it looks more like a car."

"No, we will not be doing that," the Doctor said while everyone laughed harder.

They heard a wheezing noise and watched while Daisy landed on top of Hope.

"Hey," Hope said as she was absorbed into Daisy while it materialized around her.

Daisy stopped a few feet away from the Doctor's TARDIS.

"Look, Rose!" they heard Alan say. "Daisy has given us a gift. A new child. Let's take it and go far away from here where we can love it in private."

The Doctor walked over and banged on Daisy's door while everyone laughed.

"You better give me the child back this instant!" the Doctor yelled.

"No, Daisy gave us this child. She made it out of thin air and it's ours now. Finders keepers, so neener neener, old beaner!" Alan yelled back.

"Daddy, Mummy, you out there?"

"Hey! Close that door, newly made child that in no way belongs to my brother," Alan said while Hope unlocked Daisy's door and peeked out.

Alan looked out the door with him and froze when he saw what his brother was wearing. He opened the door wider and stepped out, taking a couple of steps before he stopped and stared down at the Elmo on his t-shirt.

"Ooo-kay," Alan said while Rose and Hope came outside and shut the door.

Rose noticed that Daisy had disguised herself as a toll booth and shook her head.

"Love, I think you need to check Daisy's chameleon circuit again," she said, turning around. "She's getting confused and…"

She trailed off and everyone laughed when she finally spied the t-shirt. She walked up beside Alan and joined him in a silent stare at it.

"I would say you've gone off your trolley except I'm pretty sure I know who this t-shirt is meant for," Rose finally said, putting her arm around Hope when she came up beside her.

The Doctor looked down when Alan put his finger in the Doctor's armpit.

"Gitchee-goo, there…consider yourself tickled," Alan said in a dull voice as he withdrew his finger.

Hope giggled and tickled his ribs. The Doctor looked down at her and let out a bored yawn before walking away. They laughed when Hope ran after him and he ran faster while she tried to tickle him. Suddenly, he turned around, swooped her up in his arms and spun her around while she laughed. He gave her a firm kiss on the cheek before setting her down. Hope took her mother's hand while everyone followed the Doctor into the shopping center.


	165. Chapter 165

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Five

"Just hold still for a few more second," Duer said while moving the tissue regenerator along the gash under Jamie's fringe as Jamie sat against the pillow with his eyes closed.

"Do you mind if I go "Ow!" because that stings," he said as Duer laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Well, just be thankful that it wasn't any worse then it was," he said then placed the tissue regenerator on the table and brushed Jamie's fringe over his eyes. "Blimey, you need a haircut."

"Aye, Jenna says that I look like a sheepdog," Jamie said with a smile as Duer helped him stand up and handed him the metal cane. A walking boot covered Jamie's ankle while his right arm rested in a sling and Jamie brushed the hair out of his eyes. The walking boot had a form fitting cushion that molded over the cast and Duer assured him that his ankle would be supported enough for Jamie to walk without pain. He also assured Jamie that there was no risk of his ankle healing incorrectly and that he would take along a wheelchair if Jamie felt that he couldn't walk anymore.

"How does he look?" Duer asked as he looked at Faith and she walked closer, placing her hand on top of Jamie's left hand.

"He looks like Jamie," she said and Jamie smiled down at her.

"Well, let's get going. We have a "Daddy Takes Mommy, Faith, Cameron, Jenna and Jamie Out For Fun Day" to get to," Duer said as he walked toward the door while Faith walked next to Jamie and Jamie sighed, holding the handle of the cane tightly in his hand.

"I feel like an old man," Jamie said when the TARDIS showed them an image of Duer's first life and Duer's eyes went wide. "Well, mebbe nae that old!"

"Oi, what's with the cheek, you hairy-legged Highlander?" he asked as Jamie laughed and they left the medical bay.

The soft wheezing sound filled the air as the TARDIS materialized in the car park of a large shopping center in in London in the year 2060 and the doors opened. Duer led the way as Frankie pushed the wheelchair and Faith sat on Jamie's lap.

"Um, mind telling me why you're riding while the rest of us are walking?" Duer asked as he leaned over and went face to face with her.

"I want a ride with Jamie," she said and Jamie wrapped his good arm around her.

"Oh no, you have two perfectly good legs, so get up and walk like the rest of us," Duer said when Jenna walked closer, picked Faith off of Jamie's lap and sat down. "Um, ok, now why are you sitting down?"

"Well, he's my husband, so I can ride on his lap if I want to," Jenna said as she kissed Jamie's cheek and Jamie blushed.

"But I was there first," Faith said and placed her fists on her hips.

"Tough!" Jenna said, bugging her eyes out.

"Mommy, tell Jenna that I was riding on Jamie's lap first!"

"Mommy, tell Faith that she is a little squirt and I can ride on Jamie's lap if I want to."

"No you can't!"

"Yes, I can!" Jenna said when Jamie gently pushed her off his lap and she tumbled to the ground. She glared at him when Jamie got up, took hold of the cane and helped her up. "Why did you do that for?"

"This is supposed tae be a fun day, so I'll nae have it ruined by who gets tae ride in the chair with me," he said and Duer smiled at him.

"You sure you're not going to need it?" Cameron asked.

"Nah, I think I'll walk," Jamie said then reached out his hand and Faith took his hand. Duer nodded then closed the doors and stood back, watching the TARDIS turn into a minivan. His original TARDIS had been destroyed in a time storm centuries ago but the Doctor was able to find one surviving coral and was able to grow a new TARDIS for him. He still remembered how shocked he was when the Doctor presented him with her and how she automatically responded to him, just like his original TARDIS. The only difference was the chameleon circuit worked and he patted the minivan. Duer smiled when he noticed the toll booth sitting next to the TARDIS and turned, looking at the others.

"Looks like the Doctor and, if I miss my guess, Alan had the same idea," Duer said then walked to Frankie and took her hand. Cameron pushed the wheelchair as they headed for the shopping center and the doors hissed open. The music played over the speakers as they looked around and people apologized when they bumped into Jamie. He nodded his head as he smiled and Faith looked up at him with a slightly confused look on her face.

"Why are they doing that?' she asked.

"They're just being nice because they see that I'm a bit banged up an' dinnae want tae hurt me," he said and she nodded, holding tightly onto his hand. They walked toward the map that showed where the shops and food court was as Duer looked at the list and moved his finger up and down the list.

"Blimey, look at all these shops," he said when Jamie walked closer and looked for the bookshop. He found several bookshops and there was one that sold older books only two shops down from where they were standing.

"I want tae go there," he said, pointing to the map.

"Why do you want to go to a bookshop?" Duer asked.

"I want tae find something tae read."

"I have a library full of books and he wants to go and buy one," Duer sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Leave him be," Frankie said as she gently smacked Duer's arm and he winced, rubbing his arm.

"Owie," Duer whimpered as she giggled, kissed his arm then his cheek and he placed his arm around her shoulder. "Ok, go book shopping while we go have fun!"

"I want to go with him," Faith said and Duer bent down, going face to face with her.

"You would rather go see smelly old books than go shopping with me?" he asked then placed his face down on Frankie's shoulder. "My little girl doesn't love me anymore!"

"I love you, Daddy!" Faith said as he shook his head and pretended to sob on Frankie's shoulder.

"Knock it off before she starts crying for real," Frankie hissed and Duer looked down to see tears floating in Faith's eyes.

"Oh, Butterfly, Daddy is just teasing," he said as he knelt down and scooped her into his arms. Hushing her and sending love into her mind, he wiped her tears away as he smiled at her and tapped the tip of his finger on her nose. "You can go shopping with Jamie, ok?"

"Ok," Faith said then sniffed and Duer took his handkerchief out of his pocket, wiping her nose. Standing up, he watched as Jamie and Faith walked off and Duer placed his arm around Frankie's waist.

"I'm sleeping on the couch when we get home, aren't I?" he asked.

"Only if you don't buy me something," she said and he nodded, placing his head on her shoulder.

Jamie and Faith had looked through the children's book section as Faith found three books and she smiled up at Jamie. Jamie smiled back when he noticed something in the classic books section and walked to the shelf.

"Who's that?" Faith asked while Jamie picked up the book and looked at the picture on the cover.

"I think he was on television once," he said as he looked at the cover and Faith giggled. "What's so funny?"

"He looks like you," she said and Jamie scrunched his face.

"Och, I'm old, but nae that old," he said and rolled his eyes. He looked at the price of the book then shrugged and walked to one of the chairs. Sitting down, he placed the cane against the chair and Faith sat on the other chair. Jamie placed the book on his lap then silently cursed himself for having only one hand and he sighed, opening the book. He flipped through the pages as he read some of the stories and smiled. Some of the stories were funny and some of them were sad when he closed the book and stood up. Faith followed him as he stood in front of the shelf and found there were a few more books written by the author. He handed the books to Faith as they walked to the counter and she handed him the books. The sales girl smiled at them as she rang up the books and Jamie handed her his credit stick. She slid the credit stick in the slot then handed it back to him and he placed the credit stick in his pocket.

"You think you can carry these for Daddy?" the sales girl asked as she handed the bags to Faith.

"He's not my daddy. He's my big brother," Faith said with a smile and the sales girl nodded.

"Ah, well you are a good little sister for helping him," she said and Faith nodded, taking the bags. They said their goodbyes as they walked back to the others and Faith looked up at him.

"Why did she think you were my daddy?" she asked and Jamie smiled.

"Well, I look old enough tae be your daddy, so she just assumed that I was," he said and patted her head.

"Oh, but you're not."

"Right, and I think your daddy looks really lonely over there," he said as Faith looked at Duer and he looked at her with sad puppy dog eyes. Faith ran to him as Duer knelt down and held his arms out. She ran into his arms as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek.

"There you are! Oh My Butterfly, I missed you!" Duer said as she giggled and he kissed her cheek over and over. "Don't ever leave me again!"

"I won't, Daddy," she said as Jenna walked to Jamie and slid her arms around his left arm. Jamie kissed her cheek while Duer stood up with Faith in his arms then looked at them.

"Right, let's go find the Doctor and see if he wants to join us in our fun day!" Duer said as he walked off and Jamie sighed, looking at the wheelchair. His ankle was throbbing a bit and Cameron nodded, pointing to the wheelchair. Sighing, Jamie said down as Cameron placed the cane on the back of the wheelchair and they went to catch up with the others.


	166. Chapter 166

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Six

The shopping center was fairly new, only a few years old. The interior was wide and airy with plate glass ceilings to let in ample light and plants and fountain to add an aesthetic touch. The shops were on either side, spaced out evenly and offering everything from clothes to books. At the far end was a large food court with metal chairs and tables that were in the center of a semi circle of different restaurants. Everyone came in the revolving doors and stood for a moment, taking everything in. The Doctor took his magic wallet out of his pocket and produced 25 pounds. He handed it to Rain who put it in the billfold in Hope's lavender purse.

"I'm giving you 25 quid," the Doctor said to Hope. "That should be enough to buy a toy and a snack so don't ask for anything more than that, got it?"

Hope nodded and the Doctor tousled her hair. Rain handed her the purse and kissed her cheek before Jenny took her hand. They watched while Jenny led her off towards the toy shop.

"Ah, we don't have to look after the wee one, she's in good hands," the Doctor said with a sigh. "Now, I hope I don't have to remind the rest of you to behave yourselves and that goes double for you, Opal and Amelia."

"Amy, Papaw, it's Amy now."

"Like I said…Amelia, I want you to behave."

"It's Amy now, Papaw."

The Doctor eyed her while Amelia and the other women giggled.

"Anyway, behave yourselves and we'll meet at the food court in two hours," he said to them.

Jenny walked with Hope over to the toy shop near the back of the shopping center. Hope was glancing all around, taking in all the sights and sounds and smells while Jenny smiled at her lovingly. Hope looked up at her.

"I like traveling with Daddy and Mummy," she said to her.

"So do I. I love to travel," Jenny replied.

"Did you do this when you were small?" Hope asked.

A sad smiled spread over Jenny's face.

"I was never small, love. I was born this way," she said, pointing to herself.

"But…everyone is a baby once, Mummy said that," Hope said.

"Not me, love, and not your Aunt Jenna or Uncle Alan or Adam or John. We were all adults when we were born."

"How'd you do that?" Hope asked.

"Well, these people forced Dad to put his hand in a machine and they took a sample of tissue from his body and made me."

"How come?"

Another sad smile.

"Because these people were fighting a group of people called the Hath and they needed as many soldiers as they could and they made me so I could fight in their war. But Dad showed me a better way of living, one that didn't involve fighting and being a soldier and I don't fight anymore except when I have to defend myself or others."

"So…you never got to play with toys then?" Hope asked as they stopped outside the toy shop.

"Nope. I was too old for toys," Jenny said.

"No, you're never too old for toys. You come with me and we'll find something to play with," Hope said, tugging on her hand.

Jenny smiled lovingly at her, squeezed her hand and they went inside the shop. Inside were all sorts of toys, some in cardboard displays and some on metal shelves. Jenny did feel a pang of regret that she never had a chance to play with some of the wonderful toys on the shelves on either side of her but she was happy that her sister was born naturally and her father was allowing her to have a childhood, especially since she knew that his childhood had been anything but idyllic. They walked down one aisle and Hope stopped. Jenny stopped with her and looked where she was looking and smiled when she saw a Sesame Street Ernie plushie inside a blue box. Ernie was dressed in red swim trunks and was holding a rubber duck in his hands. There was a small hole in the cellophane on the front of the box and a sticker on Ernie's foot indicated that it should be squeezed. Jenny did and Ernie began to rock back and forth while Rubber Duckie played from his belly.

"Oo, I want that. I want that. Do I have enough money?" Hope said, tugging on Hope's green shirt. "Daddy gave me 25 quid. Do I have enough?"

Jenny took the box down and checked the price tag on the side of it. She smiled when she noticed it was on sale for 10 pounds and she nodded at her sister and was even more elated when she saw the ecstatic expression on her face.

"I want it. I want Ernie, Sissy," Hope said.

Jenny handed her the box and they kept on looking. They reached the end of the aisle, made a U turn and headed into the next one. Hope stopped when she saw Alan and Rose standing at the far end. They waved and Hope and Jenny walked up to them.

"Hello, beloved niece of mine, are you shopping for fun things?" Alan said.

Hope showed him the Ernie and Alan and Rose chuckled when Alan squeezed his foot and he came to life.

"I have enough money," Hope said happily. "Daddy gave me 25 quid for toys and something to eat and I have enough to buy Ernie."

"Aw, hear that, Starlight? Brother is teaching her financial responsibility. My hearts are warmed by that," he said to her.

"Are you gonna get a toy?" Hope asked.

"Nah, I saw you and Jen come in here and we wanted to say hello before we went on. You have fun though shopping with your sister and playing with Ernie," he said. "We'll see you both later."

Hope and Jenny said goodbye to them as they turned and went outside. Hope turned and looked up at her sister.

"You gonna get a toy now?" she asked.

Jenny started to say no and then suddenly thought better of it. With a smile she nodded and Hope took her hand and walked with her back down the aisle.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Rain were walking around, looking at the shops, trying to decide where to go. They held hands while they walked.

"Perhaps we could go into the record store?" Rain said, pointing to a record shop.

"What for?" the Doctor said.

"Just because. It's a lot better than wandering around out here," she said.

"Not all who wander are lost. J.R.R. Tolkien," the Doctor said airly.

"Well, as many times as you've gotten lost traveling, I don't think J.R.R was thinking of you," Rain said.

"How dare you. I've never gotten lost. I just end up somewhere surprising," the Doctor replied. "But I always manage to make the best of the situation. Lemons into lemonade and all that, you know."

"Mm, if you say so, Thete," Rain said.

They stopped when they saw Alan run past them. He came to a sudden stop in front of a martial arts supply store and looked at them while he pointed to them.

"Lookie, I can stock up on things that kill. See ya inside," he said before he rushed in.

"Oh Lord, I can just imagine what the maniac will buy in there," Rain said while the Doctor sniggered.

"Say," Alan said, stepping out of the store, "isn't this Emi's thing? Shouldn't we be fetching her?"

He went back inside while the Doctor snickered.

"As you can see, my husband is imagining that he's Super-Ninja Destroyer again."

They turned and saw Rose standing behind them.

"I'm sure he has this secret fantasy about being Jet Li and annihilating everything in his path," she added. "Moral high ground be damned with him. He just wants to kill."

"Ah, well, that's because he's my dark side, the side that thinks moral high ground be damned," the Doctor said.

Alan suddenly stepped outside the store.

"Hey, I could buy a long Samurai sword and wreck havoc on the shopping center. Shall we take a vote? Who thinks I should?"

No one raised their hands and the Doctor laughed when he flipped them the V's and went back inside.

"On second thought, it might be fun watching him chop humans up into little bits, I vote for sushi in the shopping center," the Doctor said.

Alan came out of the shop holding a tiny brown paper sack in his hand.

"Oh no, what's he got?" Rose said while the Doctor snickered.

She came up to the front of the group, folded her arms over her chest and stared at him while he walked up. Alan stopped in front of her, gave her a kiss on the forehead and was about to turn and walk away when Rose's hand shot out and grabbed his arm.

"What is it?" Rose said to him.

"Well…offhand, I'd say it's my arm," Alan said to her.

"No, what is in the sack, ya twonk! What did you get?" Rose said while the Doctor and Rain giggled.

Alan straightened up and gave her a haughty look as he reached inside the sack and brought out a steel six-pointed shiriken.

"My money, my purchase," he said to her.

"Why the hell did you get a throwing star?" Rose said to him.

"Um…shits and giggles? I can use it to threaten the neighbors? I can write letters to Jackie, stick them on one point and throw it into her house?"

Rose groaned and turned to the Doctor.

"Ya had to go and stick me with him, didn't ya?" she said to the Doctor while Rain laughed.

"You didn't have to stay with him. When I said look after him that was just a suggestion. You and he aren't joined at the hip," the Doctor said. "You chose to stay with him and now you have to put up with him and his…throwing star."

"Beware, Rose Tyler, I hold thy doom in my hand," Alan said ominously as he put the shiriken in her face. "Obey me or get a doodah in your hoo-hah!"

Rose tried to look stern but was losing the battle while the Doctor and Rain giggled. Alan, sensing Rose was losing her composure, got in her face.

"I am Ninja Lord, king of all ninjas and I shall put this throwing star into thy skull if thou doesn't give me nookie."

Rose tried desperately not to crack a smile while Alan stared at her with wide eyes.

"Fear me and my nifty star of destruction, Roseta Stooooone."

"Get away from me, ya git," Rose finally said, playing shoving him back before laughing. "God, I thought the Doctor was certifiable but you put him to shame."

"I take offense at that. I'm not certifiable. I've been examined and declared mentally sane. See?"

He pulled out his psychic paper, opened it and showed Rose. Alan chuckled when he looked over Rose's shoulder and saw a small photo of the Doctor with crossed eyes and his tongue sticking out while the word SANE was beside it in bold, black letters.

"Ha, yeah, you're sane all right," Rose said, rolling her eyes while the Doctor grinned and put his psychic paper back in his pocket.

Rose looked past him and the Doctor and Rain turned to see Hope and Jenny walking up to them. Jenny was carrying a large red sack and Hope was carrying a small blue sack. Hope walked up to her father, reached in and gave him a small brown teddy bear.

"For you, just cause," she said.

"Ooo, I love teddy bears," the Doctor said.

Hope reached into the bag and gave her mother a small white teddy bear. Rain smiled and kissed the top of her head. She gave Rose a brown bear and stopped by Alan.

"Well, fork it over, Rover," Alan said, holding out his hand.

"I didn't have enough money and…"

"No, you did have enough money, you're just holding out because you like to tease your favorite family member, now…where's my huge, expensive item that I can use to gloat to the others about how much you love me."

Hope grinned, reached into the sack and pulled out a little blue bouncing ball. Everyone laughed as Alan stared at it for a moment in feigned shock and then a grin spread over his face while he bounced it on the floor and caught it.

"What about you, baby? You didn't get anything?" Rain asked Hope.

Hope walked over to the large sack in Jenny's hands and pulled out the Ernie.

"Aha, see? We get small trinkets and she gets a huge plushie monstrosity that'll break down in two seconds," the Doctor said, pointing to it. "She doesn't love us as much as she loves Ernie."

"Who cares. I like my bouncy ball," Alan said as he bounced it.

"How much did this cost?" the Doctor teased his daughter as he poked her in the stomach. "How much, huh? Two billion quid? You went over budget, didn't ya? Admit it!"

"It cost ten quid, it was on sale and the little gifts were all a pound or less," Jenny said.

"You mean she actually listened to me when I said don't go over budget?" the Doctor said as the other adults laughed. "Someone listened for once, my mind is officially blank."

Jenny smiled and pressed the foot. They watched while Ernie rocked back and forth while Rubber Duckie played.

"I'm gonna pinch that when Hopey isn't looking, just sayin'," Alan said when it finished playing.

"Show em what you got, Sissy," Hope said to Jenny.

Everyone looked at her and Jenny sheepishly pulled out a rag doll from the sack. It resembled her with yellow yarn hair. Jenny was about to explain herself when Hope walked over to the Doctor and took his hand.

"Jenny said she was born from you and she came out looking all grown up and she never was small and played with toys so I told her it was okay to get a toy and be a little girl."

The Doctor's hearts lurched at that and he fought to keep his emotions in check while he squeezed Hope's hand. He suddenly decided he needed to talk to Jenny about this, so he suggested going to the food court for something to drink.


	167. Chapter 167

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Seven

Duer watched while Jenna pushed the wheelchair and Jamie reached up with his good hand, trying to pull her down for a kiss. She giggled as she kissed Jamie's lips then ruffled his hair and he winked at her. Duer often wondered what it was like for them when they traveled as bounty hunters with the cybernetic Dok-Tor as he sighed and folded his arms over his chest.

"Ah, what's with the gloomy face?" Frankie asked as she came closer and slid her arm around his waist.

"Was just looking at Jenna and Jamie," he said with a nod of his head and Frankie looked at them.

"What about them?"

"I have done them both an injustice. I should have known that she was still alive and Jamie….," he said then sighed and Frankie gently nudged her elbow into his side.

"Yes, I know about what happened to Jamie. We all do. The thing you have to understand is they're both here and, from what I can see, are fine," Frankie said as Jamie pulled Jenna onto his lap and she gently moved the sling out of the way.

"Daddy, can we go in there?" Faith asked as she pointed to the toy store as he looked at it then down at her and smiled. Picking her up, he headed for the toy store as they walked by the display tables and Faith looked down at the battery operated animals. There were puppies doing flips, elephants that walked then raised their trunks and squeaked and other animals and Duer saw the look in her eyes.

"Do you want one of those?" he asked.

"No, I have a real doggy," she said, talking about their timwolf, M'fara.

'Well, M'fara isn't a doggy. He's a timwolf."

"What's the difference?"

"Well, for one thing, he lives longer than a normal doggie."

"And he has dark and light blue fur," Faith said and Duer nodded his head. They walked by the table when he placed Faith down and took her hand. They walked down the aisles when she saw a teddy bear wearing a white shirt and a kilt and smiled, looking up at Duer. Duer picked up the teddy bear when he checked the price and nodded, handing the teddy bear to her.

"Bobby, for the last time, we are not getting a toy!" a woman's voice shouted as they came around the corner and saw a tall woman standing over a small boy and the small boy had a Power Rangers action figure in his hands.

"But I don't have this one! I want it!" Bobby shouted and the woman slapped him in the face, knocking him to the floor.

"Oi, there is no need for that!" Duer said as he stormed toward her and the woman glared at him, placing her hands on her hips.

"Bugger off. This isn't any of your concern," she said as Bobby sat there, sobbing softly and blood rolled down his face and dripped onto his Power Rangers t-shirt.

"He's bleeding," Duer said as she looked down and growled, pulling Bobby to his feet.

"You little git! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get blood out?" she shouted when she went to raise her hand to strike Bobby again but someone grabbed her hand and Duer looked at the security guard standing to the woman's right. He was wearing a dark blue uniform with STORE SECURITY over the pocket and an earpiece was sticking out of his right ear. "Let go of me!"

"Sorry, Ma'me, but you have to come with me," he said as he led the woman and Bobby away and Duer turned, seeing Faith hiding behind a large Shrek statue. His hearts hurt as he knelt down and she ran to him, dropping the teddy bear on the floor. Kneeling down, Duer wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her cheek then sent love into her mind and rocked her. Frankie had contacted him and asked what was wrong as he closed his eyes and told her what happened.

"_Is she ok, Dad?" _Jenna thought.

"_Yeah, she's fine," _Duer thought as he winked at Faith and she smiled at him. Standing up, he took her hand as he picked the teddy bear off the floor and Faith squeezed his fingers.

"Daddy?" she asked and he looked down at her.

"Yes?" he asked, twirling her in a circle and she giggled.

"Did you have toys when you were little?"

"Um," Duer said as he looked at the Lego sets and smiled at the Harry Potter sets. "Well, yeah, I had toys when I was little but they were mostly educational toys."

"You mean like the V-Tech toys Cameron bought me for Christmas?"

"Yeah, like those," he said as he looked at the Lego Hogwarts' castle set and she looked up at it.

"You should buy that, Daddy," she said with a smile and he blinked, looking down at her.

"Don't you think I'm too old?"

"Nope," she said, shaking her head.

"Um, nope, it's too big to carry around. Maybe I should get a smaller set," he said as he looked at the selection then picked up a box containing blue, white and yellow Lego blocks and smile. "Oh, yes, this will do!"

"What are you going to build?" she asked and he smiled at her, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"You will just have to wait and see!" he said when he found an empty trolley and placed the teddy bear and box in the child's seat. They went down the aisles when Faith saw a green, plastic carrying case with Tinkerbell and friends dolls in it and held it up so Duer could see it.

"Can I have this, Daddy?" she asked as he looked at the price and saw there were nine dolls in the case.

"Nine dolls for ten pounds? That is a good price," he said as he placed the green, plastic case in the trolley and she smiled.

"I know all their names," she said and he gave her a blank look.

"Well then, Oh Pixie Expert, what are their names?"

"There is Tinkerbell. She is the leader and a tinker-talent fairy. Then there's Silvermist. She is the water-talent fairy, Then there's Rosetta. She is a garden-talent fairy. Next is Fawn. She is an animal-talent fairy. There's Iridessa. She is a light-talent fairy. And there's Vidia. She is a fast-flying-talent fairy and she is mean to Tinkerbell…"

"That isn't very nice, is it?" Duer asked and she shook her head.

"There's Terrence. He's a dust-talent sparrowman and he hands out the pixie dust. I think he likes Tinkerbell," she said as Duer smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Her boyfriend, hunh?" he asked and she nodded her head.

"My two favorites are Bobble and Clank. They're tinker-talent sparrowmen and…"

"Are sparrowmen boy fairies?" he asked.

"Yeah, and Bobble and Clank are Tinkerbell's friends. Oh, Daddy, her name really isn't Tinkerbell. It's just Bell, but they call her Tinkerbell," she said and he arched his eyebrows up in surprise.

"I didn't know that!"

"Yep, and they all live in Pixie Hollow," she said as he gave her an impressed look and they headed for the checkout. The sales girl smiled at them as Duer placed their purchases on the counter when the security guard that had taken the woman and Bobby walked closer and Duer looked at him.

"Excuse me, Sir," he said and Duer gently held Faith against his side. "The manager of the store has told me that you don't have to pay for your purchases, seeing that you and your daughter were witness to that woman attacking her son."

"What? Oh, no, that is nice of you, but I would rather pay for them," Duer said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I just hope that woman finds help. He only wanted a toy," he said and the security guard nodded, walking away. A few minutes later they walked out of the toy store as Duer held onto the big bag and Frankie smiled as they walked closer then stopped next to her.

"Are you ok, Sweetie?" she asked as Faith looked up at her and sighed.

"Yeah," she said, nodding her head then looked up at Frankie. "Mommy, why did that lady hit her little boy?"

"I don't know, Love," she said as she knelt down and hugged her.

"Oh, Daddy, can I have the bag, please?" Faith asked as Duer handed her the large bag and she opened the bag, taking the teddy bear out of the bag. Jamie and Jenna were standing in front of the fountain and Cameron was sitting in the wheelchair. Jamie held onto the handle of the cane when he felt someone tugging on his jeans and looked down, seeing Faith holding the teddy bear in her arms.

"Did yer daddy buy that for you?" he asked with a grin and she shook her head.

"I bought it for you," Faith said as she held the teddy bear up and Jamie blinked his eyes a few times. Taking the teddy bear in his hands, he looked down at Faith when she climbed up onto the bench in front of the fountain and Jamie hugged her.

"Thank you, mo bean-bhrathar," he whispered in her ear and she kissed his cheek. Jamie had been teaching her Gaelic and she knew that bean-bhrathar meant sister-in-law. Letting go, he held the teddy bear against his chest as Faith smiled and got off the bench. "Look at what she bought me!"

"It's really cute," Jenna said as she took the teddy bear from him and held it against her chest. "It's mine now!"

"Och, give that back," he said as she backed away from him when Duer came up behind her and tickled her ribs, making her giggle and drop the teddy bear on the floor.

"No fair!" Jenna giggled as Faith picked the teddy bear off the floor and gave it back to Jamie.

"That was mean!" Faith said as she wagged her finger at Jenna and Frankie cupped her mouth, trying hard not to laugh.

"Aye, that is was," Jamie said then walked over to Jenna and scrunched up his face at her. "What do you have tae say?"

"Oh, ok, I am sorry for taking your teddy!" she said and Jamie smiled, kissing her on the cheek.

"Thank you!" he said then winced and Jenna gave him a concerned look.

"Cam, can you get out of the wheelchair. I think Jamie needs it," she said and Cameron nodded, getting up. Jenna helped Jamie sit down as he placed his feet on the footrests and she placed the cane on the back of the wheelchair.

"Hmpht," Jamie grumbled and Faith walked closer, placing her hand on top of his hand.

"Do you want to go home?" she asked and Jamie shook his head.

"Then shall we head for the food court? I am getting peckish," Duer said as they laughed and Jenna pushed the wheelchair toward the food court.

"And what happened to you?" the Doctor asked when he saw Jenna and Jamie in the queue at the Chinese noodle shop and Jamie looked up at him.

"Well, it seems that my fleet footed Highlander decided to see if he could roll down a hill," Jenna teased as Jamie rolled his eyes then told the Doctor what happened.

"Well, I'm glad that you're ok," the Doctor said and patted Jamie's shoulder. "Where's the rest of the family?"

"I think they're over there," Jenna said as she pointed to the table where Frankie and Faith were sitting and the Doctor waved at them. Frankie waved back when Faith ran to him and held up the teddy bear she had bought for Jamie.

"Oh, that is nice," he said as he looked at Jamie and Jamie smiled, shrugging his shoulder.

"We bought it at the toy store."

"Was it the toy store next to the record shop?"

"Yep, and the man said we could have it for free, but Daddy said he wanted to pay for it."

"Why did the man want you to have it for free?" the Doctor asked with a confused look on his face.

"Some mean lady was smacking her little boy because he wanted a toy," Faith said and the Doctor sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Some people shouldn't have kids," he said and Jenna nodded. Jamie noticed that the queue was moving as they headed toward the counter and the Doctor told them to tell Duer where he and his family were and Jenna nodded, watching him walk away.

"Will you put that away?" Rose half shouted as Alan showed Cameron the shuriken he bought in the marital arts supply store and Alan pouted, putting the shuriken back in the bag.

"Better not show that to Adam," Duer said as he sipped on the Coke he had bought at the food court and Alan smirked, brushing some hair out of his eyes.

"Well, if you must know, it was a special sale and I bought one for him," Alan said and Duer's eyes went wide.

"Oh no, that's all we need, the two of you running around with shooting stars!" the Doctor said and Alan smiled, placing the bag behind his back.

"Better make that three of us. I bought one for John, too," he said and Rose grabbed the bag, handing it to the Doctor. "Hey, that's mine!"

"It was yours!" the Doctor said as he placed the bag into his jeans pocket and Alan frowned, folding his arms over his chest.

"How can I be the Ninja Lord, king of all ninja without my shooting star?" Alan grumbled.

"You can't," Rose said and Alan stuck his tongue out at her. The Doctor laughed then looked over at Jenny and sighed. Jenny noticed that he wanted to talk to her about something when she nodded her head and they walked off to find somewhere to talk in private.

"Wonder what that's all about," Alan said as he watched them leave then yelped when someone smacked him on the bottom and turned around, seeing Faith and Hope standing behind him. "Did you just smack me on the bottom?"

"Yeah," the girls said at the same time then ran as he growled and they hid behind the wheelchair. Alan stormed up to Jamie as he looked up at him and gently slid his arm under the sling.

"If you want them, you're going tae have tae go through me!" he said as the girls stuck their tongues out at Alan and Alan smiled, rolled his eyes then shook his head, walking away. Faith and Hope walked around to face Jamie when he winked at them and the girls walked away, heading for the bench to play with Hope's Ernie doll.


	168. Chapter 168

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Eight

After coming into the food court, Jenny sat the bags down at a table near an Italian restaurant and started to go towards a Chinese restaurant when the Doctor grabbed her wrist.

"Before you eat, can I chat with you for a moment in private?" he asked.

Jenny nodded and they walked away. Hope started to follow them but the Doctor gently told her to stay behind and he would be back in a minute. Alan, seeing that Hope needed to be distracted, strolled up to his niece, leaned over and put his nose to hers.

"Moo," he said with wide eyes.

Hope giggled and patted his head.

"I'm Bossy the Cow and I'm very hungry. Will you feed me so I can make lots of milk for you?" Alan asked her.

Hope nodded and Alan beamed as he took her hand and they walked towards a restaurant.

Meanwhile, the Doctor led Jenny away from the food court.

"Jen, I wanted to talk to you…about your getting a doll today," the Doctor said to her as they sat down on a wooden bench that was in front of a large potted pine tree. "Did you do that just to please Hope or do you truly miss not having a real childhood?"

Jenny thought about that for a moment while the Doctor waited.

"I think I do miss having some sort of childhood," Jenny finally said.

"But you did have a childhood even if you had an adult body," the Doctor said. "I keep telling you lot that you're not that old in Gallifreyan years and you technically were a child until the age of two hundred."

"I know but…I never felt like a child," Jenny said, looking at her hands.

"I think that's because you were never meant to be one," the Doctor said sadly. "You came out of that machine so you could be a killing machine. That's why I tried to show you there was alternatives to that, even back there on Messaline when I told you that you never had to kill anyone."

He put his hand on her back when she nodded and smiled.

"Are you jealous of Hope?" the Doctor asked after a moment's silence.

"No, why should I be jealous of her?" Jenny said, confused.

"I just meant are you jealous that she's having the childhood you never had?"

"No, I'm glad she's having a proper childhood. I'm glad most of my brothers and sisters had a proper childhood. I'm not bitter, really. It's just odd that I was never a child."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better…"

The Doctor stood up, took the yo-yo out of his pocket and sat back down.

"You don't have to be a child to be a child at hearts," he said to her. "You have noticed that I play with this yo yo from time to time, among other things."

"And toy mice," Jenny added.

She giggled when he rolled his eyes. Jenny nudged him.

"We never did see Donna's womanly wiles at work, ya know."

"And you're complaining about that?" he said while Jenny laughed harder. "I stopped her precisely because I was afraid to see what she meant by womanly wiles. I can only imagine what Lee has to go through in the bedroom at night. In fact, I better not say anymore because the image of her doing something seductive might get stuck in my mind for the rest of my lives. I'm glad I landed up with Rain, that's all I'm going to say about that."

Jenny chuckled and the Doctor put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her arm.

"I'm glad I found you again and brought you up as my daughter," he said to her. "You've been one of the greatest joys of my life."

Jenny blushed and the Doctor gave her a peck on the cheek.

"So, now that I've taken you away from a possible meal, would you like to rejoin the others?"

Jenny nodded and the Doctor gave her another peck on the cheek before they got up and walked back to the tables in the food court. The Doctor slowed down when he neared the tables and saw Alan sitting with his daughter. His daughter had a veggie wrap and a small bowl of mixed fruit in front of her. She was giggling and feeding Alan a grape while he mooed and opened his mouth to let her pop the grape in.

"More. Must make more milk!" he said after he swallowed the grape.

"Here's something," Hope said, putting an orange slice in his mouth.

"Moo. Me likey," Alan said before chewing it.

Rain, who was sitting nearby with Rose, shook her head when the Doctor and Jenny walked up.

"He's being a cow as you can probably tell," she said to him. "Don't worry, the fruit bowl is his purchase, he just wants his niece to feed it to him."

"I'm feeding Bossy so she'll make milk, Daddy," Hope said to him.

"She? She's a very butch cow," the Doctor said while everyone laughed.

Alan looked at him and drew his face in close to him.

"Me-yooo," he said.

The Doctor stood up, got a pocketknife out of his pocket and turned it over and over in his hands while Alan watched.

"I'm feeling a bit peckish for a burger. If I slaughter Bossy, will the burger place over there cook it?" he mused while he stared at the knife.

"I have a bad temper and hooves," Alan mused. "If I kick Brother really hard in the head, will it go sailing across the food court and land in the wok in the Chinese restaurant?"

"I'm married to a maniac," Rose mused. "If I file for divorce, will it go through immediately?'

"No, because I'm one of those people who will kill you because if I can't have you, no one else can," Alan said, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm a jealous guy and I covet you for my own."

"Heh, just try killing me, mate," Rose said while Rain giggled.

Alan scooted over to the seat beside her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Ugh, I'm trying to eat here," Rain said, making a face.

She jerked her head back when Alan tried to slap her cheek.

"Hey, you quit being a bad cow," Hope said.

Alan jerked his head around and slid back down to his original seat. Rain shared an exasperated look with her husband while Alan mooed and accepted a slice of peach from his niece. The Doctor was about to say something when suddenly someone slammed into him from behind.

"Daddee!" Tara squealed as she hugged him tightly from behind.

"Not any longer. I had a double heart attack and it's too late for me to regenerate. S'pose you're outta luck now," the Doctor said.

He looked behind him and saw the other women had come into the food court. Tara hugged him tighter and kissed his cheek.

"Sorry, Daddy, just had to do that," she said.

"Yes, well, it's a good thing I was able to control my reflexes. I've had monsters sneak up behind me before and I might have thrown you over my head into Bossy over there," he said, pointing to Alan who was now feeding Hope her veggie wrap.

"Moo, and all that," Alan said before he turned his attention back to Hope. "Now, eat your veggie wrap so you can have lots of energy for playtime."

"What happened to the fruit?" the Doctor said.

"Ate it all. It was delish," Alan said, glancing back at him.

"I'm waiting for him to give milk now," Hope said to her father.

"Um…baby, I think you might have a long, long wait," Rain said while the Doctor sniggered.

"Not necessarily. Perhaps my clone body has milking abilities," Alan said to her.

"In that case I'm glad you married Rose," Rain said. "I'd hate for you to get excited and milk sprays out of your nipples and hits my face."

"Hee, that would be funny," Hope said.

"Yes it would be. I'll have to think up a way to do that for your amusement," Alan said to her before feeding her another little bite of her wrap.

The Doctor glanced behind him when Amelia tapped his shoulder.

"So…what's my name?" she said to him.

"Grizzabella?" the Doctor said.

"What's my name?" Amelia prompted.

"Shugalotta? Mankypooker? Damaramalamadingdong?"

"Her name is Amy, Papaw," Opal said, coming up beside Amelia.

"Shagnoodle?" the Doctor said, ignoring her. "Plattskarken? Poodoodoo?"

Rain chuckled when Amelia threw up her hands in mock exasperation and her and her sister headed to the Chinese restaurant. The Doctor winked at his wife.

"Coulda sworn it was Nonkaplonka," he said to her while she laughed. "Could be wrong though. Ah well, I better stop thinking about it and go get a burger."

On the way out of the shopping center, they noticed a bouncy house had been recently set up. The Doctor paid two quid and everyone stood by while Hope went inside the red and blue house and bounced around, giggling insanely. The Doctor looked at his brother.

"What? You're not joining her, Miss Moo Cow?" he said.

"Nah, Bossy might flatten the house and that would bring several policemen running and Bossy would end up in jail. So no bouncy for Bossy."

"Hey, that's catchy, I'll have to write a children's book with that title," Dorothy said.

The young women giggled while Alan shot them a look.

"And I'll write one entitled, I'm Amy, Damn it!" Amelia said, nudging Dorothy.

"And I'll write one entitled Why Am I Still Relatively Sane After All These Years?" the Doctor said. "It'll be a memoir of me bringing up a family and wondering why they haven't driven me to the loony house yet."

"Daddy!"

"What?" the Doctor said when Hope stumbled over to the mesh on the front of the bouncy house.

"Come inside and bounce!" Hope said.

The Doctor looked at the attendant who was sitting on a wooden stool nearby.

"I dare ya," Rose said. "Ten quid if you get in there and bounce with her."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow when the rest of his children except for Dex offered up ten quid for him to do it. The Doctor pretended to count all of them and then muttered to himself, counting off tens while he held up one finger after another.

"Wow! I might be moderately rich if I do this," he said to Rain. "Do you dare me as well?"

"Ah, what the hell, go for it!" Rain said. "We'll bail you out of jail if the cops come running."

They laughed when the Doctor ran over and quickly slid into the bouncy house while Hope squealed with glee. Everyone laughed harder when the shocked attendant leapt off his stool and ran to the entrance.

"Sir, this is for children only," he said as the Doctor rolled around.

"I'm a kid at heart though," the Doctor said while Hope rolled into him, laughing hysterically.

His family members applauded when he crawled out of it with Hope. Ignoring the angry look of the attendant, he walked over to his family and held out his hand.

"Pay up. I did the dare!" he said to them.

"Scatter!" Rose said.

The Doctor gave them an annoyed look when they quickly ran towards the entrance of the shopping center, leaving him with Hope. He looked down at Hope, grinned and scooped her up. He held Hope close to him while he followed his family members to the front of the shopping center.


	169. Chapter 169

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Nine

Frankie stood in front of the jewelry store when Duer walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist.

"What are you looking at?" he whispered in her ear as she sighed and looked at the gold ring in the window. "Ah, you're looking at the birthstone ring."

"Yeah, I know mine, Cam's, Cameron's and Faith's birthstones but I don't know yours or Jenna's," she said as he looked at the ring and blinked. He didn't know what his birthstone was as he looked at the selection of stones in the window and smiled at the chocolate diamonds in a ring next to the birthstone ring.

"I know it's expensive, but I like that chocolate diamond ring there," he said she giggled.

"Oh, of course," she said with a nod of her head and he smiled, kissing her cheek.

"You did say that you'd forgive me for scaring Faith if I bought you something and I have decided on what I'm going to buy you," he said then vanished inside the jewelry store while Jamie and Faith, who had gone into the sweet shop, walked closer and Frankie turned, seeing a small paper sack in Faith's hands.

"Did Jamie buy you some sweeties?" she asked.

"Yeah," Faith said.

"Did you tell him thank you?"

"Aye, she did," Jamie said, leaning on the handle of the metal cane.

"Where're Jenna and Cameron?"

"They're in the music store," Jamie said, pointing to the music store with the metal cane.

"Where's Daddy?" Faith asked when Duer walked out of the jewelry store and had a plastic bag in his hand. "Oh, there you are."

"Did you get me some sweeties?" Duer asked as he reached for the paper sack but she pulled the paper sack away and shook her head. "Oh, ok, then I guess you can't see Mommy's special gift!"

"No, I wanna see it!" Faith said as she jumped up and down and Duer held his hand out, wiggling his fingers. Faith opened the paper sack when she took out a banana lollipop and Duer's eyes went wide. Smiling, he took the lollipop as he took the wrapper off and placed the lollipop in his mouth.

"My gift, please," Frankie said as he handed her the plastic bag and sent word to Jenna and Cameron to come to the jewelry store. A few minutes later Jenna and Cameron walked toward them as Jenna slid her arm around Jamie's arm and he kissed her cheek.

"What's going on?" Cameron asked.

"Daddy bought Mommy a special present!" Faith said as she took hold of Duer's hand and he smiled down at her.

"Ooo, what is it?" Jenna asked when Frankie took the small box out of the plastic bag and held the black velvet box in her hand. She slowly opened the box when she looked at the gold ring sparkling in the light and tears filled the corner of her eyes.

"Oh," she said softly as Duer took the black velvet box from her and took the gold ring out, placing it on her right ring finger then kissed the ring. Faith went on her tip toes as she tried to see the ring and he smiled, ruffling her hair.

"Now," Duer said as he removed the lollipop from his mouth then showed them the ring and pointed to the amethyst at the center of the ring. "This is Mommy's birthstone. It's an amethyst."

"What's that one?" Faith said, pointing to the emerald.

"That is an emerald and that's Cameron's birthstone. Yours is the ruby," he said as he pointed to the ruby.

"And whose birthstone is that?" Cameron asked as he pointed to the pearl.

"That's for Jenna because she is my pearl," Duer said and Jenna blushed. "The chocolate diamond on the top is for me!"

"It's really pretty, Mommy," Faith said. Frankie nodded then sniffed while Duer placed the lollipop in his mouth and hugged Frankie, sending love into her mind. Jamie looked at Jenna when she wiggled her finger at him and he moved his head closer so she could whisper in his ear.

"I know what you're thinking, Highland, and I don't need one. You and the kids are my gems," she said and he shyly smiled while a blush moved across his cheeks.

"Uh, Jenna whispered something naughty in Jamie's ear!" Duer said, taking the lollipop out of his mouth and shook his head. "Don't you have any shame?"

"I was just telling him that he and my kids are my gems," she said and Frankie smiled, placing her head on Duer's shoulder.

"What can we do now, Daddy?" Faith asked as they started walking toward the front of the shopping center then Duer stopped, seeing the bouncy house and smiled.

"How about that?" he asked with the lollipop cushioned on one side of his mouth as Faith nodded and they walked toward the bouncy house. The attendant looked at him when he stood up and walked to Duer.

"I already told you that this is for children only," the attendant said as Duer frowned and tilted his head to one side. He thought for a few seconds when he smiled, took the lollipop out of his mouth and rolled his eyes.

"Was I with someone else that looked like me?" Duer asked and the attendant nodded his head. "Ah, that would have been my brothers. We're triplets."

"I don't care. You can't go in there," the attendant said and Duer gave him a blank look.

"It's probably sticky from kids peeing in it anyway," Duer said then, with a snort, he placed the lollipop back in his mouth and took Faith's hand. The attendant flipped them off as Jamie and Jenna laughed and Duer swung Faith's hand back and forth.

"Do kids really pee in there," Daddy?" she asked and Duer shrugged. Faith giggled as they walked out of the shopping center and saw the Doctor and his family standing near the TARDIS. Waving at them, Duer told them that they were going home and the Doctor nodded. Cameron was pushing the wheelchair while Jamie held the bags in his lap and the metal cane was dangling on the back of the wheelchair. Duer patted the side of the minivan as the TARDIS hummed inside his head and changed back into a police call box. "Daddy, what does she like looking like a police call box?"

"I don't know. I guess she's looked like one for so long that it's like a default setting. Why? Do you want her to look like something else?" he asked after taking the lollipop out of his mouth.

"No, I like her like this," Faith said, patting the wood and the TARDIS blew warm wind through her hair. Nodding, Duer placed the lollipop back in his mouth then unlocked the doors and leaned against the doorway.

"WAIT!" Alan shouted as he ran toward them then scooped Faith in his arms and placed her over his right shoulder. "Ok, you can go now."

"And why would we leave without my daughter?" Duer asked while wagging the lollipop at him.

"Because Bossy the cow, that's me, needs a new milkmaid and your daughter would be perfect for the job," Alan said when Rain walked over and took Faith off of his shoulder. "Hey!"

"Sorry about that," she said as she handed Faith to Frankie and Faith giggled. Alan yelped while Rain grabbed hold of his ear and half dragged him toward the others.

"How do they put up with him?" Frankie asked while shaking her head and they laughed. Duer saw the Doctor shrugging his shoulders as Duer nodded and they went inside the TARDIS. The soft humming sound filled the air as the TARDIS vanished and Alan walked to the Doctor, placing his head on his shoulder.

"Dang, there goes my new milkmaid," Alan said while the Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

Duer walked to the doorway when he saw Faith placing the Tinkerbell dolls in the little fairy house that the TARDIS had made her and Elby, the chibi doll of Duer's eleventh life that Marion had made for Frankie when Duer was going into exile, was poking at them.

"Meepa?" Elby asked as it pointed at the dolls and Faith shook her head.

"No, they're not alive," she said and Elby sighed, leaning against her. "Don't be sad. I don't want another living doll. You're my best friend."

"I thought that I was your best friend," Duer said when he walked closer and sat on the floor, placing her and Elby on his lap.

"You are," she said as she leaned against him and Elby smiled up at him.

"That's good. I was worried there for a second," Duer teased and she giggled.

"Daddy, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

"How come Hope has more brothers and sisters then I do?"

"Well, it's because the Doctor keeps adopting kids left and right. I don't feel comfortable doing that so I just have you, Jenna and Cameron."

"You forgot Jamie."

"Yep, Jamie will always be the son of my hearts."

"Hope has a Dex. Where is my Dex?" she asked and Duer sighed, wrapped his arms around her.

"Well, that is a sad story. Are you sure that you want to hear it?"

"Yeah," Faith said and nodded her head.

"Dex was the oldest of my children when I lived in my old universe. He loved to travel in the TARDIS with me and I always thought that he would be my companion. I was so proud of him while he was at the academy and his mother, my first wife, said that he was so much like me that she was afraid that he was going to get himself killed someday. I told her that she was over reacting but she was right."

"He was killed?" she asked and held Elby against her chest.

"Yep," Duer sighed and kissed the top of her head. "He was exploring with some friends when he was attacked by a halnar."

"What is that?'

"It's something like a bear and a wolverine," Duer said when Elby got off his lap then ran into its dollhouse. A few moments later Elby came out wearing a blue and yellow superhero outfit and the gloves had six plastic claws sticking out of them. Elby walked to them as it looked up at them and smiled. "No, it's not that kind of wolverine."

Elby pouted as Faith picked it up and held Elby on her lap. Duer rolled his eyes as he patted Elby on the head and Elby moved the mask back, making its brown hair sticking up on its head.

"His friends scared the halnar off and took Dex back to the citadel. He was taken to the hospital but he was too badly hurt and they made him comfortable until I got there."

"Where were you?"

"I was off world."

"Why didn't he regenerate?"

"His hearts were too badly damaged. He died in his sleep," he said and Faith sighed, placing her head against his chest.

"Do you think he would have liked me?" she asked and he kissed the top of her head.

"He would have loved you," he said softly and Faith smiled. "Right, it's time for bed."

Faith nodded when she and Elby went to get ready for bed then crawled under the duvet and Duer sat on the bed.

"Tell me a story about Dex," she said as Duer wrapped his arm around her, kissed the top of her head and began to tell her a story about Dex.


	170. Chapter 170

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy

Hope walked into the kitchen and inhaled deeply. It was the night before her sixth birthday and her parents, brothers and sisters were having a movie night with her so they could spend time with her personally before they had the huge party. When they asked Hope what she wanted to watch, she asked if she could be adventurous and watch a horror movie. The Doctor debated over whether to let her watch one or not before he finally decided to show her a classic horror movie like Dracula that might be scary but not traumatize her and give her nightmares like Saw would. Hope agreed to that and the Doctor told her that he needed to go get the DVDs and would be back soon. He and Jack left in the Doctor's TARDIS and Rain set to work preparing some Mexican food. She made bean burritos, enchiladas, refried beans, spanish rice and taco salad and was planning to bake some nachos with cheddar cheese on them for later.

Hope walked up to the counter and stared at the taco salad. She had fixed a few of them for people who didn't want the burritos or enchiladas. Each one had a taco shell bowl and was filled with meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives and sour cream. While she stared at them, Rain tousled her hair.

"Excited about tonight, baby?" she asked Hope.

"Yes! I wanna see a scary movie," Hope said. "I wanna sit with you and Daddy and watch a scary movie."

"Well, your daddy should be home soon with Uncle Jack and then we'll watch it, okay?"

Hope nodded and Rain gave her a handful of black olives to snack on. Hope munched on them while she watched her mother working in the kitchen. While she was doing that, there was a knock at the door. Rain wiped her hands on a tea towel and went to answer the front door. When she opened it, she saw Alan standing there. She was about to say something about how he wasn't supposed to come until the next night when he saw the grim look on his face and noticed Rose wasn't with him as usual.

"Bro? What is it?"

"The Doctor and Jack contacted us telepathically. There's been some complications," he said. "They were captured and taken prisoner and…they're being tortured."

Alan took her hand when she staggered at that.

"Tortured? They were going to get DVDs for tonight," Rain said in confusion. "How'd they go from getting DVDs to being tortured?"

"Well…Brother's TARDIS landed in the wrong place again," Alan said. "He landed in the middle of some rebellion on some distant planet and the people were suffering so you know him and Jack, had to get involved and one thing led to another and…"

"But why didn't he tell me this?" Rain said.

"Because he didn't want you to worry and because he asked me to come over and keep the wee one entertained while Rose and your sons and daughters and a few others go to rescue him."

Rain glanced over her shoulder when Hope walked up to them. She noticed Alan's expression changed in an instant from grave to exuberant.

"Hey!" he said, leaning down to her. "Guess who's coming to enjoy films with you tonight?"

"You?" Hope squealed.

"Nah, Spongebob Squarepants, I'm going to go sit in the garden and wet myself."

"No, you come inside and have fun," Hope said, taking his hand.

Alan reached down and grabbed a small brown sack.

"Never fear, I got the DVDs," Alan said to Rain as they walked by. "And don't worry, you know Brother…he'll be here soon."

Rain nodded and closed the door. She was now worried and searched for her husband's mind but couldn't find him or Jack. She hoped they were just shielding their minds to prevent her or Hope from feeling the pain of torture. She turned, suddenly no longer in the mood for movies but she noticed that Alan was sitting with Hope on the sofa, joking and being silly with her and for once, she was grateful he was here since she didn't want her daughter to be distraught.

"So…what are you watching tonight?" Alan was asking Hope.

"Dracula!" Hope said.

"Nah, we're not watching that rubbish. I have a DVD called Mowing Madness. Eight hours of people mowing the grass. It'll be thrilling."

"No!" Hope howled.

"Yes!" Alan howled back. "Mowing Madness for yoooou!"

Rain chuckled at that. She knew Alan was probably just as worried as she was but he was hiding it so completely that she would never have guessed anything was wrong. She realized that was one of her brother's many talents, to be able to fake being happy when his hearts were hurting. Fondly, she walked by him and patted his head.

"She touched me, you have any cootie spray on ya?" she heard him ask Hope as she went to the kitchen.

"No," Hope replied.

"No! What if I get cooties? I might suffer."

Rain smiled when Hope laughed at that. She heard her happy chatter and Alan happily teasing her and it lifted her hearts a bit knowing she wasn't worrying about what was happening to her father at the moment. She decided to make some tea so she could calm her nerves. She was so focused on making it that she didn't notice Alan had come up behind her until he tapped her on the shoulder. She gasped and put her hand over her right heart while she spun around.

"Sorry, didn't mean to give you a scare," Alan said. "Just wondering how you're holding up while Hopey goes to the loo."

"Okay, I guess. Just worried," Rain said, putting the kettle on the burner. "Hard not for me to worry, you know."

"Don't worry. He and Jack'll be fine."

"I know. It's just…sometimes it's like being married to a cop or a fireman, you worry," Rain said.

"Hmmm, never heard it put like that, but I s'pose you're right. But never fear, he's been through worse and come through it alright."

Rain nodded and Alan gave her a peck on the cheek. He looked over when Hope entered the room.

"Hands clean?" he asked her.

"No."

"No! Clean hands are obligatory in this house. Go back to the lavatory and lather up those hands, young lady," he said to her.

"No!"

"Okay, you'll have to watch Mowing Madness then," Alan said with a shrug.

"No!" Hope said with a giggle while Rain tousled her hair.

Hope went around him and asked for some more olives. Alan leaned down and put his chin on her shoulder.

"Clean hands?" he said.

"No!"

"No olives for you then," he said while Hope giggled.

"Would you like some taco salad?" Rain asked Alan.

"No, Mummy, don't give him any. He hasn't got clean hands!"

"Don't you backchat to me, Pooh the Roo! I'll do what I want to, Pooh the Roo," Alan said, poking Hope's belly while she giggled.

Rain handed him one of the taco salads and he stuck his tongue out at Hope while he took a fork.

"Ha! I'm an adult, I can do anything I want to," he said as he walked out the door.

"Do you want a taco salad?" Rain asked Hope.

She nodded and gave her one and a fork. While Hope walked out, she went to the fridge and got the milk out.

"Hey, no fair, taco salads are to be eaten by me and me alone. Go take that back!"

"No!"

"I'll make you watch Mower Madness, I swear I will!"

Rain chuckled and got two glasses down from the cabinet. While she did that, Hope came back into the kitchen.

"Is Daddy and Uncle Jack coming soon?" she asked.

Rain forced a smile on her face and nodded.

"Yeah, they probably went and did something else, maybe got you a gift," she said.

"Or…" Alan said, sticking his head into the room, "maybe they ran far away to the end of time because you have cooties."

"I do not!" Hope said, chasing after him as he ran.

Rain chuckled again and poured two glasses of milk for them. She took them out and sat them on the coffee table while Alan and Hope sat on the sofa.

"Mummy, can we watch a film?" Hope asked.

"Mower Madness!"

"No!" Hope said with a giggle.

Alan opened the sack he brought and looked through the selections.

"Mower Madness," he said as he looked in the sack. "Mower Madness 2, Mower Madness 3, Mower Madness 2, Electric Boogaloo…"

He gasped when Hope reached into the sack and pulled all the DVDs out.

"How rude! Mower Madness marathon for you then," Alan said while Hope laughed.

Rain took the DVDs from her.

"We have Dracula, Frankenstein, Invisible Man or The Mummy," she said, reading off the titles.

"Mower Madness isn't in there? Musta misplaced it somewhere," Alan said, feigning shock.

"I want Dracula, Mummy," Hope said.

Rain went to put the DVD in while Hope hopped off the sofa and ran upstairs. She ran back down a moment later, dragging a pink Scooby Doo blanket behind her. She wrapped it around herself and plopped down next to Alan while Rain started the movie.


	171. Chapter 171

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy One

Rain finished putting the burritos and enchiladas in the oven and got some bowls, giving Hope and Alan some of the rice and refried beans. She smiled when she heard more teasing come from the living room and she took the bowls out on a little silver tray.

"Need a refill on the milk?" she asked them.

"I do," Hope said.

"Nah, I'm fine for the moment, just enjoying this film and thank you for the de-lightful beans and rice. I appreciate it."

Rain smiled and tousled his hair.

"See, she keeps touching me, sure you don't have cootie spray?" she heard Alan say as she went back into the kitchen.

She picked up her mug of tea and stared at the food. She debated on eating anything but she decided to eat a bit of rice just to keep something in her stomach. She spooned a bit in a bowl and went back out into the living room. She checked on Hope but she was chatting happily with Alan and didn't seem scared so she sat down in the chair beside them and ate. She listened while she ate to Alan and Hope discussing the movie.

"This is weird," Hope said while she watched Dracula as a bat flapping over Mina Murray's head while she and Jonathon Harker were on a balcony. "How do he do that?"

"What?" Alan said.

"Fly?"

"Um…he's a vampire?" Alan said while Rain giggled.

"Can you do that?"

"Uh…no, cause I'm not a vampire," Alan said while Rain snickered.

"Are they real?" Hope asked.

"Yes. Serena used to be one a long time ago before your daddy cured her."

"Did she do that?" Hope said, pointing to the flapping bat on the TV screen.

"Uh…if she did, I never saw it," Alan said while Rain shook her head.

"I don't think she could do that," Rain said. "I think that's something they made up."

"Yeah, I've never heard of any real live vampire who could do it. Although, they did drink blood and fear the sun but that's a completely different kettle of fish."

"So…do you like the film so far?" Rain asked her daughter.

"It's kinda boring, Mummy."

"We could put in Mower Madness then."

"No!" Hope howled while Alan sniggered.

Suddenly, they heard a wheezing coming from the garage and Rain's hearts skipped a beat. She shared a look with Alan and he distracted her while Rain got up and ran to the TARDIS. She ran into the garage and told the TARDIS to let her in. The doors opened and she asked the TARDIS to lead her to her husband. The TARDIS moved the med bay to the back door and Rain sprinted in. Everyone cleared a path and the Doctor sat up on the exam table so he could hug her. Then she hugged Jack who was on another table beside him. Around them was Rose, her sons and daughters, the members of Torchwood, Donna, Martha and Grace.

"You may have heard we took a small diversion from the DVDs," the Doctor quipped when she came back to hold him again.

Rain looked at him and blanched. He looked haggard, there were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was wet with sweat and plastered to his head. He sent love into her mind when he held her close. He was hooked up to an IV, the needle sticking out of his right arm. He had his jacket and shirt off and Rain could see some faint bruising.

"What happened?" she said.

"Dunno how much Brother told you but we landed on the wrong planet," the Doctor said.

"I'll say," Jack said dryly.

"We got involved in a rebellion against a tyrant king that was terrorizing and torturing his citizens and we got captured during a rescue attempt of two new friends and we ended up being tortured. I was pumped full of different chemicals and…Jack…"

"I was beheaded as a warning, except the bastard was surprised when my head reattached itself," Jack said. "Right out in public too. After that, people thought I was some sort of god and I managed to rally people to attack the castle."

"And this king, what happened to him?"

"Committed suicide. He chose to do that rather than submit and surrender to me," the Doctor said. "Tried to stop him but it was no use. I was weak anyway from the chemicals and by the time they finally found me, I had nearly passed out," he added, pointing to his family. "Feel better now although I s'pose I look like Hell."

"Daddy?"

Everyone shut up when they heard Hope in the console room. Rain helped the Doctor sit on the side of the table while Jack did the same and Martha draped a white cotton blanket around him to hide his chest and the needle in his arm.

"Daddy?" Hope said, coming into the room and glancing at everyone. "What's going on? You wanna come and see the film?"

"Yes, I do but I need to rest for a minute, yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Hope said while Alan came into the room.

"Yeah. Bit icy where I went and I fell and bumped my head and passed out for a bit, I'm fine, love," he said, laying his hand on top of her head. "What have you been doing?"

"We've been eating and watching Dracula," Hope said. "Come and eat and watch it with us, Daddy."

"Um…I might have some tea at first till my stomach calms down but I'll be there in a minute, okay? Go ahead and watch it and I'll be in there in a moment."

"Hurry!" Hope said as she turned and ran out of the room.

"Blimey, I need all the energy I can get just to keep up with her," he said while everyone laughed.

Jack slid off his table and went to get his shirt, braces and coat. While he was doing that, the Doctor eased himself gently onto his feet and beckoned to Alan.

"Thank you," he said when he came close. "I trust you kept her occupied during this?"

"Mission accomplished, old man. She had no clue what was really going on. I, on the other hand, was happy to help, especially since I was fed."

The Doctor smiled, he took hold of the sides of Alan's head and laid his forehead against his while both of them shared love.

"Thank you," the Doctor said.

"No problem. Just happy to see you in one piece, Brother," Alan said.

"Well, I stayed in one piece. Can't say the same for Jack," the Doctor said as he leaned back.

"Oh? Do tell," Alan said as Martha put his IV bag on a movable pole and Rain got his clothes. "What body part did they take off Jack? His nong nong?"

"No, they didn't take my nong nong off me, as you put it," Jack said while everyone laughed.

"They didn't take your nong nong and put it up your bunghole?"

Everyone laughed when Jack flipped Alan off while he gave him a cheesy grin.

A half hour later, everyone was watching the beginning of Frankenstein. The Doctor was sipping tea and eating some rice and Jack was doing the same.

"I have a sore throat right now, can't think why," he quipped.

The Doctor sat with his daughter, smiling while she ate a burrito. Anne and Elizabeth, who were outside by the pool, were staring through the glass and occasionally whining about wanting in but everyone ignored them after Rain set some food and water outside for them. While the Doctor ate, the IV bag dripped some medicine down into his vein, restoring his health so that with each passing moment, he was getting more of his appetite back. He took a bite of rice and looked down when Hope tapped his leg.

"Hmmm?" he said to her.

"Hey, you really fall or you got hurt by bad people? You can tell me," Hope whispered.

The Doctor marveled at how astute she was at her age. He leaned in.

"Bad people hurt me and Uncle Jack but don't worry, we're fine now," he whispered to her.

"Did you kick their booties?" Hope whispered.

"Yes," the Doctor whispered back.

"Good, cause if you didn't, I'll kick it," Hope said.

She giggled when the Doctor tickled her armpit. He sent love into her mind while he put his arm around her and enjoyed the film with her.


	172. Chapter 172

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Two

"GRACE!" Adam shouted as he ran into the A & E and held six year old Faith in his arms. She was crying while holding onto her left wrist and Grace ran to them, looking from Adam to Faith.

"What happened?" Grace asked as they walked to the examination room and Adam softly hushed Faith.

"My brother and Frankie are off planet with Cameron and I'm babysitting. Faith went outside to play on the swing set and tumbled down the slide!" Adam said as he paced back and forth and placed Faith's head on his shoulder. "I should have been outside with her but, no, I had to go to the loo!"

"Adam, it was an accident," Grace said as she tried to take Faith from him but he shook his head and kept pacing.

"No, I should have just wet my pants. Now look what happened! Duer is going to kill me, let me regenerate then keep killing me until I hit my thirteenth life!"

"No he won't," she said as Adam stopped pacing as he sighed and she stroked his hair. "Can I look at her now?"

"Ok," Adam sighed as they walked to the examination table and Adam gently placed Faith down. Faith sniffed as Grace walked closer and stroked Faith's hair.

"Hello, Sweetie, can you tell me what you were doing when you fell off the slide?" Grace asked as Faith sniffed then sighed and blinked.

"I was climbing up the slide and fell off," Faith said and Grace nodded.

"Why didn't you use the ladder?" she asked and Faith shrugged. "Well, let's have a look, ok?"

"Yeah," Faith sighed as Grace took hold of Faith's left arm then looked at Adam and Adam was huddled in a corner.

"I think Uncle Adam is feeling a little scared," she whispered to Faith and Faith looked over at him.

"Uncle Adam, are you scared?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm scared that you're mad at me for not being there to catch you," he said and Faith giggled.

"You're a silly head," she said as Adam got up and walked to the examination table.

"I am?" he asked and Faith nodded. Grace had been looking at Faith's wrist, which was swollen and bruised, and Adam gently stroked Faith's hair. Grace felt her hearts hurting as she moved Faith's fingers and Faith moaned, making Adam feel worse.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie," Grace said then looked at Adam and Adam tilted his head to one side. "It's broken."

"I am a dead man," Adam sighed as Grace rolled her eyes and smiled.

"No, you're not," she said then looked at Faith and smiled. "Right, we need to take an x-ray to see how badly it's broken."

"Cool!" Faith said while Adam's eyes went wide and he blinked his eyes a few times.

"Hold on. What happened to the waterworks?" he asked and Faith giggled.

"I was only crying because you were crying."

"I was NOT crying!" he said as he gave her a stunned look and Faith arched an eyebrow at him. "Ok, maybe a little bit."

"I'll go see if which x-ray tech is available," Grace said when she left the room and Adam hopped onto the examination table, sliding Faith closer. He stroked her hair as Faith placed her head on his chest and he kissed the top of her head.

"Uncle Adam, have you ever broken anything?" she asked, looking at him and Adam smiled while gently taking her left wrist in his hand.

"Yep, I've broken this finger," Adam said as he held up his right hand and wiggled his pinkie at her. "I also broke my right ankle and my left wrist."

"All at the same time?" she asked and he laughed.

"No, not all at the same time," he said and kissed the top of her head.

"How did you break your pinkie?"

"Well, this was back when I was human," he said with a smile then half closed his eyes and placed his head on top of her head.

(Adam's universe)

"Wrench," Adam said while his feet stuck out of the console and Rose sat on his legs, the toolbox sitting next to his right leg. He never knew how much maintenance it took to look after a newly grown TARDIS as he sighed and brushed the hair from his eyes. Rose handed him the wrench while he nodded and looked up at the wires. He started to tighten the bolts while Rose watched him and noticed that his Incredible Hulk t-shirt had rolled up enough to expose his stomach. He glanced at her when he shook his head and she smiled. Rolling his eyes, Adam looked back up at the wire when two pieces of metal suddenly slipped down and caught his right pinkie in a tight grip. "Oh bugger!"

"What happened?" she asked as Adam dropped the wrench onto his chest and closed his eyes tightly.

"Two of the support braces slipped and caught my little finger!" he said and she gently crawled on top of him and he looked at her. "What are you doing?"

"Don't get any ideas. This happened to…to him once and I had to help him get loose," Rose said and Adam sighed. She knew that he didn't like to be compared to the Doctor as he nodded and she gently rolled onto her back, feeling his heart slamming against her. Rose looked up as she saw the two pieces of metal clamped around his little finger and a tiny bit of blood shimmered in the light from one of the circuit boards. "Can you wiggle your finger?"

"Um, no, I can't," he said as she reached up and gently touched his little finger. Adam yelled as he tried to jerk his hand away when they heard a light snap and he sighed, rolling his eyes. "I just broke it, didn't I?"

"Yep," Rose said as she nodded her head and Adam looked up at the wires. He could feel the TARDIS panicking as he reached over and stroked one of the support braces.

"It's ok, Baby, I know you didn't mean it," he whispered while Rose carefully moved down his body and sat up. She looked through the toolbox when she found the pliers and he looked up with wide eyes. "Um, what are you going to do with that?"

"I am going to cut your finger off," she teased and his eyes went wide.

"No you're not!" he said as she giggled then yelped when the TARDIS shocked her and she dropped the pliers to the floor. "Ha, that will teach you!"

"I was kidding!" Rose said while looking at the ceiling then picked the pliers up and slid up Adam's body, lying down on her back. Adam was softly whimpering from the pain as she reached for his left hand and he slid his hand on top of hers, wrapping his fingers around her fingers. She felt him calming down as his heart thumped in a steady rhythm against her and her head rested under his chin. "You're going to be ok."

"It still hurts," he mumbled and she slid her hand out from under his hand and rubbed his thigh.

"I know, but once we get it free, I'll take you to Torchwood and…"

"No! I am not going there!" he half shouted and she sighed, rolling her eyes. She knew that he hated Torchwood more than he hated getting his finger stuck and she patted his thigh.

"Adam, you know that we can't take you to a normal hospital," she said and he sighed, closing his eyes. He did know she was right, but the idea of any Torchwood doctor touching him made his stomach do flips bad enough to make him sick. It was bad enough that she had talked him into getting tests done to see if they could have children at some point, but he had sworn that was the last time he would let them touch him. If the TARDIS' medical bay was finished, he knew they could use the medical equipment he had "borrowed" from Torchwood to fix his finger, but it wasn't and he sighed, opening his eyes.

"Ok, we'll go to Torchwood after you free my finger," he sighed and she smiled, patting his thigh. Using the pliers, Rose loosened the metal braces as Adam slid his little finger out and held his hand to his chest. Blood rolled down the back of his hand as Rose saw that the little finger was bent in an odd angle and he sweetly smiled at her. Nodding, Rose carefully backed off of him then helped him up and held him against her side as they left the control room.

"Owie," Faith said as she looked at Adam's little finger and Adam showed her a cartoon version of his finger wearing what looked like a body cast and was lying in a hospital bed. Faith giggled as he kissed her hair and she sighed, snuggled against him while he slid his arms around her. "How did you break your wrist?"

"Ah, that was your Uncle Alan's fault," he said with a smile and half closed his eyes.


	173. Chapter 173

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Three

"You have to be kidding," John said when Alan brought out the game box and TWISTER was on the lid of the box.

"I'm bored, ok?" Alan said, opening the box then removed the spinner and unfolded the plastic sheet. Adam sat on the couch when he picked up the spinner and crossed one ankle over the other, flicking the plastic spinner with his finger.

"Well, I'm the caller," Adam said when Rose walked into the living room and walked to the couch, leaning over the top of it.

"What are you doing?" she asked and Adam smiled, looking up at her.

"Alan wants to play Twister," he said and Rose looked at Alan, who was stretching his arms over his head then twisted side to side. "Takes it seriously, doesn't he?"

"I am a Twister champ, I will have you know," Alan said with a smug look on his face and Rose sighed, rolling her eyes.

"This I have to see," Rose said as Adam moved his legs so she could sit down then yelped when Alan nearly dragged him off the couch and he looked up at Alan.

"Right, seeing that my loving wife is here, you have to play," Alan said as Adam sighed then stood up and took his shoes off. John stood on one end of the plastic sheet while Alan stood on the other end and Adam stood in front of Rose. Looking back at her, Adam wiggled his butt at her and Rose laughed, softly swatted his butt with the spinner. "Oi, don't shake your bootie at my wife!"

"Technically it's the Doctor's bootie, so I can shake it if I want to!" Adam said with wide eyes and Alan glared at him.

"I don't care whose bootie it is! Let's play!" Rose said as they nodded and she spun the plastic spinner. "Ok, it landed on right foot green."

After a few minutes Alan, Adam and John were bent in several odd positions as they tried to keep their balance and Rose nearly wet herself from trying hard not to laugh. She spun the spinner when Adam noticed that Alan was about to fall and tried to figure out how to get out of the way. His eyes went wide when Alan crashed down on top of him and Adam screamed after smacking his left wrist down on the coffee table.

"Oh, blimey, Adam, I'm sorry!" Alan said as he got off of Adam and Adam sat up, holding his left arm against his chest. John and Rose knelt next to Adam as Adam set up a privacy block and breathed hard and fast through his nose.

"Adam, are you ok?" Rose asked while stroking his hair and Adam shook his head. Rose helped him stand up when he placed his head on her shoulder and Alan looked down, poking his toe in the carpet.

"I'll go get Marion and Martha," John said then left while Rose held onto Adam and Alan sighed, heading for the garage.

"Come on, Mate," Alan said as Rose held onto Adam and they went into the garage. Snapping his fingers, Alan led the way as they went inside Daisy and he told her to move the medical bay next to the control room. Adam blinked his eyes a few times when his eyes rolled into his head and the last thing he heard before passing out was Alan telling him he was sorry.

"Are you going to wake up for me?" a soft voice asked as Adam opened his eyes and Marion gently stroked his hair.

"Can I scream now?" Adam asked softly as she nodded and he felt everyone send love into his mind as he screamed inside his head. "Ok, just how bad is it?"

"You have a broken wrist," she said as he lifted his arm up and saw the TARDIS blue cast going from his knuckles down to nearly his elbow. Sighing, he placed his arm down then noticed the balloons and the large banner with I'M SORRY and hologram faces of Alan crying hung on the wall.

"Where is he?" Adam asked when Alan peeked into the medical bay and Adam looked at him, wiggling a finger at him.

"Um, no, I'm fine right here," Alan said when Marion kissed the top of Adam's head then headed for the door, walking by Alan. Sighing, Alan walked slowly toward the bed as Adam pushed the button and the bed moved up until he was sitting up. "Mad at me?"

"I was until I passed out," Adam said and Alan sighed, looking down at his feet. "How long have we known each other?"

"Eh?"

"How long have we known each other?"

"Oh, it's been years!"

"And how many times have I been mad at you?"

"Oh, I never kept count."

"And in all those times that I have been mad at you, have I ever been mad at you for more than five minutes?"

"Nope, you have never been mad at me for that long."

"Then I am not mad at you," he said and laughed when the faces on the banner changed to Alan smiling and little cartoon hearts appeared over the heads.

"Now if there is anything I can do to help you, don't be afraid to ask," Alan said while Adam thought for a few minutes when he frowned and blinked his eyes.

"What day is it?"

"It's Wednesday. Why?"

"Oh, crap, I have a book signing on Friday!"

"So?" Alan asked as Adam arched his eyebrow at him and pointed to his left hand. "OH!"

"Now what do I do?"

"Easy, I'll do it!" Alan said and Adam's eyes went wide. "How hard can it be? I look like you. I sound like you. No one will know the difference!"

"Have you ever read my books?"

"Yeah, and they're great!"

"But do you know why I wrote certain passages or where my ideas come from?" he asked and Alan thought for a few minutes then frowned. "See, that's why you can't do it. I know why and where."

"Can't you reschedule it?"

"No," Adam said as he shook his head and sighed. He felt Alan's sadness and guilt when he smiled and arched his eyebrow at him. "But, seeing that you're so full of guilt, I'll tell you why and where so you won't look like a total git."

Alan sat on the edge of the bed while Adam started talking and the faces on the banner smiled.

"Did Uncle Alan have fun at the book signing?" Faith asked.

"Oh yeah, in fact, he just did a book signing just last week," Adam said and Faith giggled.

"How did you break your foot?" she asked and Adam sighed, leaning the back of his head against the wall.

(Adam's universe)

"Adam," Rose whispered as she moved closer and ducked down behind the bush. She hated that Pete had sent Adam on a field mission as they looked at the large, bearlike alien chewing on what was once a dog and Adam hushed her. Adam argued with her that he could take care of himself and demanded to go on the field mission. She argued that he wasn't the Doctor and could get killed. Neither of them had spoken since then and she knelt down next to him. Both of them were wearing black clothing, gloves and boots as Adam pushed the black knitted cap away from his eyes and Rose tapped the communicator in her left ear.

"Right, I want a clean catch. Don't fire unless…"

Both Rose and Adam jumped when the large, bearlike alien roared as it stood on its hind legs and the blood on its muzzle shimmered in the moonlight. The large, bearlike alien sniffed the air when it turned to look at them and Adam puffed out his cheeks, rolling his eyes.

"Should we run?" Rose asked as he looked at her and slid her hand into his hand.

"Run," Adam said as they ran then heard a loud crashing sound and the large, bearlike alien charged after them. Adam felt his heart slamming hard against his ribs while they ran up the hill when he tripped over a rock and tumbled down the hill. He heard Rose calling out his name as he rolled end over end until he landed on his back and felt a sharp pain going up his right leg. "Shit."

"Don't move!" Rose shouted as she slid down the hill then knelt down next to him and he looked up at her.

"I think I busted my ankle," he moaned as she hushed him and gently slid her hand along his leg. He screamed when she touched his ankle and little white dots danced in front of his eyes.

"I think you're right," she said when a loud growling sound fill the air while the large, bearlike alien lumbered down the hill and Rose removed the gun from her belt. The large, bearlike alien stood on its hind legs when Rose fired the gun and the large, bearlike alien screeched while the bullets cut into its body. Adam was sitting up on his elbows as they watched the large, bearlike alien crashed to the ground and several Torchwood soldiers arrived, surrounding the large, bearlike alien. "We need an medical chopper here a.s.a.p.! Doctor Storm's been injured."

Adam looked at her as he slumped to the ground then closed his eyes and watched the little white lights popping behind his eyelids as he passed out.

"And that was the last time I ever did field work," Adam said when Grace walked back in room and headed for the examination table.

"Right, Doctor Greggs is ready. So let's go and get you sorted," Grace said as she helped Faith into the wheelchair and Adam gave Faith a quick kiss on the cheek. He watched Grace pushing the wheelchair down the hallway when he sighed and scratched the back of his neck.

"When did you get here?" he asked when Duer stood next to him and placed his hand on Adam's shoulder.

"Oh, about five minutes ago," Duer said and Adam sighed.

"I am so sorry," he said when Duer turned Adam toward him and pulled his head forward until they were forehead to forehead.

"One, it was an accident. Two, you didn't panic and took her straight to the hospital. Three, if I didn't think for one second that I couldn't trust you with my children, you wouldn't be in their lives. Finally, five, uh, four, I am not mad at you."

"I'm mad at me." Adam sighed.

"WILL MY UNCLE ADAM PLEASE STOP BEING MAD AT HIMSELF AND COME TO THE X-RAY ROOM? HE'S GOT TO SEE WHAT MY ARM LOOKS LIKE WITH THE SKIN TAKEN OFF!" Faith's voice said over the intercom speaker as Adam looked at Duer and Duer smiled, nodding his head. Duer laughed as Adam ran down the hallway when he placed his hands in his pockets and went to catch up with him.


	174. Chapter 174

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Four

"Throughout the night, family members came to see the Doctor and Jack to make sure they were okay. Rain finally made her husband lay down on the sofa so he could heal better. She got his pillow and a blue eiderdown from their bedroom and once Martha made sure the IV pole was out of the way and the drip was still going, the Doctor settled down while Jack got a cushioned footstool, sat in the chair, folded his arms over his chest and both men drifted off to sleep. Everyone else went outside to the pool so they could talk and Rain urged Hope to do the same.

"Let him alone, baby. He and Jack need to rest," she said to her daughter while she took her hand.

The Doctor slept for about a half hour. When he woke, a small radio was on the coffee table beside him, softly playing soft rock for him. He noticed that Jack was still asleep and snoring lightly. He looked over at the patio door and noticed several people standing by it while they chatted. While he watched Rose laughing with Martha and Donna, Hope came up to the patio door and stared in at him. He winked and waved when she waved to him. Hope glanced at Rose, Martha and Donna, looked back at him and then walked away. A moment later, she returned holding her Scooby Doo blanket bunched up in her arms. She opened the patio door and slipped in while the Doctor watched her lovingly.

"Mummy said to leave you alone but I wanna give you my blanket so you'll be warm," she said as she spread her blanket out on top of the eiderdown.

While she was doing that, Jack opened his right eye slightly and then opened both eyes while she watched her.

"Where's my blanket?" Jack teased when Hope finished spreading the blanket out on top of the eiderdown.

Hope glanced at him and then raced to the stairs.

"Wait, I was kidding," Jack said as she went upstairs.

"Too late, she has to mother us both, you know," the Doctor said to him.

Hope came back downstairs holding another blanket in her arms. She walked over to Jack and spread it out over him. Jack groaned when he noticed it was a pink Dora the Explorer blanket.

"You didn't have anything a bit more manly?" Jack said while the Doctor chuckled. "Pink isn't my color and that monkey following Dora creeps me out."

Hope finished spreading the blanket over him and Jack watched while she checked the mug filled with water that was on the table beside him. He then walked over to the mug of water that was left for the Doctor on the coffee table. She noticed it was nearly empty so she took it and hurried to the kitchen while the Doctor sighed and put his free arm behind his head.

"I could get used to this pampering," he said to Jack.

"I'll say. She's a wonderful nurse and she has a great bedside manner," Jack said.

Rain peeked inside the patio door and looked around.

"Is Hope in here?" she asked the Doctor.

"Yup. No worries, she's attending to our needs now," the Doctor said, waving his hand dismissively.  
She's not bothering us. She's pampering us both."

Hope came out of the kitchen, very carefully holding the mug of water in her hands so it wouldn't spill.

"See? She's giving me a water refill," the Doctor said.

"Daddy was awake so I wanted to give him my blanket and give him water," Hope said, setting the mug down on the coffee table. "You said not to come in here but I want Daddy to feel better."

"That's okay, baby. He told me he and Jack were awake when you came in here," Rain said, rubbing her back. "I'm glad you're taking care of them. You're being a good helper."

"Are you okay, Daddy?" Hope asked the Doctor.

"I feel tons better now that you've seen to my needs, thanks," the Doctor said happily.  
"And yes, the medicine is working and I don't feel sick anymore."

"What about you? Are you feeling better?" Rain asked Jack.

"Apart from the sore throat, yes."

Rain stared at him for a moment and then put up a privacy block between her, him and the Doctor.

_I keep wondering,_ she thought. _Do you suffer much when you die?_

_Um…depends. The beheading wasn't that bad, only a second of pain, if that, _Jack thought back while the Doctor listened and rubbed Hope's back. _I've had worse._

_Do you see anything when you die?_ Rain thought to him.

_Um…if I do, I don't remember it. I can't really die so if there is an afterlife, I can't get to it. I think I'm more like in limbo until I come back to life,_ Jack thought.

_Grace saw something,_ the Doctor thought. _She and Chang Lee were killed by the Master and when they were revived, Grace told me she went somewhere and there was nothing to worry about. I'm sure she'll tell you about it if you ask._

"Course," the Doctor said loudly, "that's if you can get Tarty Moo to stop running her gob and taking up her time for more than two seconds."

They laughed when Rose visibly stiffened outside.

"Can you excuse me?" Rose said to Donna and Martha. "I need to kill someone."

Rose spun around and stomped into the house while Martha and Donna laughed. She walked up to the Doctor, folded her arms over her chest and eyed him while he gave her a look of innocence.

"Howdy, TM, come to pay your respects?" the Doctor asked sweetly.

"No, I've come to smother ya with this pillow," Rose said, fingering the pillow under his head. "I want to watch you regenerate over and over."

"Not if my little nurse can help it," the Doctor said, rubbing Hope's back. "She'll save me from suffocation, won't ya?"

"No."

Rose bent over laughing at the shocked look on the Doctor's face.

"Hmmm, maybe I have to retrain her then," the Doctor mused while Hope giggled and laid her head on his chest. "You're supposed to support me, no matter what."

"No!" Hope said with a giggle.

"You tell em, love," Rose said, before bending over to kiss her head.

After awhile, the majority of the people left, leaving behind Rain, Rose, Martha, Alan, Hope, the Doctor and Jack. Martha checked both the Doctor and Jack's temperatures.

"You're still running a bit of a fever," Martha said to the Doctor. "I think I'll take the drip out but you should get some more rest and Jack, you do the same."

Hope watched while Martha took the needle out of the Doctor's arm. He got up and Rose and Rain moved the chairs and coffee table back so they could unfold the hideabed in the sofa.

"Can I lay with Daddy and keep him company, Mummy?" Hope asked when the Doctor laid back down.

Rain looked at her husband and he nodded. Rain cautioned her daughter to be quiet and let him rest and the Doctor pulled back the sheet so she could climb in beside him. Jack climbed in beside Hope and Rose and Rain pulled the sheet back up and spread the eiderdown over them while Hope snuggled with her father. Rain giggled as she grabbed Hope's two blankets and threw them over the Doctor, Jack and Hope's heads.

"Oi!" the Doctor said while Hope laughed.

Rain and Rose spread the blankets on top of the eiderdown, kissed the Doctor and Jack's cheek and dimmed the lights while they went back outside to talk.


	175. Chapter 175

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Five

The Doctor, Jack and Hope lay together in the bed. Rain put the radio on the table beside the sofa and soft rock was still playing while the others sat outside by the pool and chatted. The Doctor listened to the soft voices floating in through the open door and watched Anne and Elizabeth come inside so they could sleep in their dog beds. He glanced at Jack who had his eyes closed but he could tell he wasn't asleep. He looked at Hope who was cuddling with him and staring up at him with her expressive dark brown eyes.

"I'm not sleepy anymore," the Doctor said to his daughter. "I'm bored. Sing for me."

"What?" Hope said.

"Um…sing the ABC song for me."

"A, B, C, D, EFG…"

Hope giggled when Jack started to sing instead of her.

"Ahem, I meant the child, not the man-child," the Doctor said. "Sing the ABC song for me."

"No, I wanna sing something else," Hope said.

"Okay, sing something for me."

"Great big gobs of greasy, grimy, gopher guts. Mutilated monkey feet, chopped up baby parakeet."

Jack chuckled when Hope giggled at the shocked look on the Doctor's face.

"Where did you hear that?" the Doctor said to her.

Jack snorted.

"I can figure that one out, can't you?" he said, opening one eye to look at the Doctor.

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"In future, I'll have a talk with Brother about teaching Hope certain songs," he said dryly while Hope giggled.

"Speak of the devil," Jack said when Alan slipped through the patio door into the room.

Alan walked up to the Doctor's side and leaned over.

"Soon…" he said in an ominous whisper. "Soon, you will be asleep and then you'll be mine. Bwahahahaha!"

"No!" Hope said.

"Silence, child, you will know my wrath and believe me, I have wrath," Alan said. "I have wrath, really I do."

"You gonna lay down with us?" Hope asked.

"Um…" Alan said, looking at the bed. "I don't think there'd be room for me in there. You're sorta full now. But don't worry, once you're asleep and vulnerable…I will return."

He said this last part in a hushed whisper as he walked to the lavatory.

"Don't worry, we'll protect ya from Mister Silly," the Doctor said to Hope. "So…how 'bout that song? Sing me something so you can ring in your birthday with a song in your hearts."

Hope thought and then sang C is for Cookie to them. The Doctor and Jack smiled while she sang softly. While she was doing that, the Doctor heard the toilet flush and heard the lavatory door open.

"Okay, let's see if they're asleep yet," Alan said as he walked into the room. "Wait? What's this? Singing? Curses. I love the innocent songs of children; I have no defense against it!"

"I'm just singing for Daddy. He wanted me to sing," Hope said to him.

"I'm glad. You need to help your daddy and Uncle Jack get better and singing will help," Alan said, laying his hand on the top of her head.

"Sit with us and have some fun," Hope said, pointing to the chair near the bed.

The Doctor handed him the Scooby Doo blanket and he draped it around him while he sat down in the chair.

"So…continue with the singing," Alan said to Hope.

"No, I want a story now," Hope said softly. "Tell me a story, please."

"Oh boy," Jack said when he saw the delighted look on Alan's face.

"Once upon a time there was a dashingly handsome clone who had ambitions of ruling the world. Problem was, one person stood in his way of world conquest."

Hope giggled when Alan got up, poked the Doctor repeatedly in the cheek for several seconds and then sat back down.

"Now…" Alan said, arranging his blanket while he spoke. "The person in question was a clever man but the clone was far cleverer than he."

Jack caught the Doctor's eye and rolled his while the Doctor nodded.

"So one day while the man was asleep, the clone crept up and gave him a wet willy. Ha, said he. I have triumphed and so it was from that day forward."

"Uh, you're s'posed to entertain the child, not bore her to tears," the Doctor said, glancing over his shoulder at him.

"She loves anything I do, I'm a neverending source of amusement for her," Alan said.

The Doctor caught his daughter's eye and she giggled when he spun his finger around his ear. Alan looked over when Rose came into the room.

"I figured you couldn't resist bothering them," Rose said.

"Oi, Hope is lying there keeping them awake. And she invited me to sit," Alan said indignantly. "I'm having fun with them."

"He's not bothering us," the Doctor said.

Rose nodded and turned around. The Doctor looked behind him at Alan and mouthed Tarty to him with a wink. Rose turned her head and eyed them when Alan sniggered at that.

"I don't know why he's laughing but I can guess my little nickname has something to do with it," Rose said.

Alan and the Doctor shared at look.

"That's incredible. She guessed," the Doctor said.

"It's the Bad Wolf. It's made her incredibly psychic and now she can read minds," Alan said.

"I don't need to read minds to know what you lot get up to," Rose said, walking back outdoors.

"Oh, I better butter her up before she spends the night angry," Alan said, taking the blanket away and getting up. "I'll see you lot later…when you're asleep."

Hope giggled and Alan smiled affectionately before he leaned over and kissed her cheek. He strolled out the front door while the Doctor adjusted the eiderdown and held Hope close to him while he, Hope and Jack closed their eyes.


	176. Chapter 176

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Six

Faith giggled while Adam carried her to the couch and was careful not to bump the Little Mermaid sling Grace had given her. Duer sat on the couch when he reached out for her and Adam gently lowered her onto Duer's lap. Faith was still a little groggy as she placed her head against his shoulder and Duer kissed her head, gently wrapping his arms around her.

Frankie sat next to Duer while Cameron went into the kitchen and Adam knelt next to the couch, stroking Faith's hair.

"I am so sorry," he said softly as Faith smiled at him and wiggled her finger for him to come closer. Adam moved closer when she grabbed hold of his nose and pulled. "Owie!"

"Stop being sorry," she said as he rubbed his nose and smiled. He gave her a hurt look when she kissed the tip of his nose and he ruffled her hair.

"Ok, I'll stop," he said then stood up and scratched the back of his neck. "Guess I should go. Marion's waiting and I think I'm about to get a lecture about being more careful."

"You could stay here," Faith said as he looked down at her and smiled.

"Nah, I think I need a good lecture," he said then leaned over and went nose to nose with her. "Besides, if I give her sad puppy eyes, she turns into mush and I get cuddles. I do love me a good cuddle!"

He kissed the top of Faith's head then turned on his heels and left the house, closing the door behind him.

"Is Marion going to lecture him?" Frankie asked while Duer stroked Faith's hair and placed his feet on the coffee table.

"No, though I think she'll give him some cuddles," Duer said as he sighed and looked at Faith. "As for you, do you promise to never climb up the slide again?"

"Yep," Faith said, popping the "p".

"Good," he said when Cameron walked back into the room with a bowl of chocolate ice cream surrounded by whipped cream and white chocolate sauce dribbled down the ice cream. "Is that for me?"

"No," Cameron said when Faith sat up and Cameron knelt next to the couch, handing her the spoon.

"For me?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Yep, can't let my little sister sit here all broken and hurt, can I? She needs cheering up!" Cameron said as Duer winked at him and Faith moved forward a bit so Cameron could kiss her lips. She scooped up some of the ice cream when she placed the ice ceram in her mouth then scooped up some more and offered it to Cameron. Cameron opened his mouth as she placed the ice cream in his mouth then fed some to Duer and he licked the whipped cream off his lips. Faith finally fed some ice cream to Frankie when she handed the bowl to Frankie and snuggled against Duer.

"Tell me a story, Daddy," she said as he placed his head against the top of her head and stroked her hair.

"What sort of story?" he asked.

"Can I hear one about Dex?"

"Okey dokey!" he said, wrapping his arms around her and gently rocked her back and forth.

(Duer's universe)

Gallifrey

"Decided to come home, have you?" Duer's wife, Arianka, asked while Duer walked into the room and the door hissed closed behind him. He had always regretted marrying her, but the marriage had been arranged before they were loomed and he sighed, running his fingers through his blonde hair. His hair hadn't become white yet, but he did look like his first life and he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I have decided to come home," he said as he walked by the white chair and looked out the window. The burnt orange sky was clear as the sunlight shimmered off the dome and the hove cars moved silently overhead. "Where are the children?"

"They are out doing what you should be doing," she said as he blinked and half closed his eyes.

"You mean they're doing Council business," he said and could feel the anger in her mind. "Where is Dex?"

"He is in his room," she said as he turned and looked at her.

"Why is he in his room, hmm?"

"He was sent home from the academy….again!" Arianka half growled and Duer slightly smiled.

"What did he do this time?" he asked as he walked toward her and Arianka snorted, folding her arms over her chest.

"He nearly blew up the science lab….again! Professor Malchar's eyebrows were burned off," she said and Duer covered his mouth while he laughed. "It's not funny! He could have killed someone!"

"Oh, Ari, he was probably having fun and accidentally mixed the wrong chemicals. I used to do that all the time."

"Yes, and that it what I am afraid of," she said and balled her fingers into fists. "He is too much like you!"

"And what is wrong with that, hmm?" he asked with a smug look on his face and she growled.

"You are reckless! You wander off and are gone for months at a time! You make your own rules and don't care about the consequences!"

"What? I do care about the consequences of my actions!"

"No, you are just like Koschei!" she shouted as his eyes turned into tight slits and he glared at her.

"What did you say?" he growled and she slowly backed away from him. "I am NOTHING like him!"

"No, you're worse! You are a freak!" she shouted as the anger boiling inside him pounded in his ears and he balled his hands into fists. "You heard me! You are a freak! You weren't even loomed! You're nothing more than a…."

"You better not finish that sentence!" he growled then stormed out of the room and headed down the hallway. Leaning against the wall, Duer looked at the ceiling while sliding down the wall and drew his legs up. Placing his face in his hands, he tried not to cry when he felt someone sending love and comfort into his mind and lifted his head, seeing nine year old Dex standing in front of him. Dex was wearing his academy robes as he held onto the teddy bear Duer had brought home from one of his trips to Earth and he looked like he had been crying.

"Are you alright, Father?" Dex asked as he sat next to Duer and Duer let him snuggle closer, wrapping his arms around him.

"Yes, Lasau, I'm fine," he said and rubbed Dex' arm.

"I heard you and Mother fighting. Was it because of me?" he asked and Duer sighed, nodding his head. "I'm sorry."

"No, there is no need to be sorry. I used to do things like that," he said and lifted Dex' chin up to look into his eyes. "From our mistakes, we learn the right solution."

"Who said that?"

"I did!" Duer said with wide eyes and Dex giggled. "Now, would you like to come with me on an adventure, hmm?'

"You mean I can go with you in the TARDIS?" Dex asked with wide eyes.

"Isn't that what I just asked?" he asked and Dex giggled.

"Yes," he said with a nod of his head and they got up. Duer held him to his side as they walked down the hallway and ignored the glares from Arianka.

"Why was she so mean, Daddy?" Faith asked as Duer sighed and kissed the top of her head.

"Well, Butterfly, she just didn't like me. She thought I should act like the other Time Lords, being boring and not caring what happened to people, but that wasn't me! I'm a natural busybody and I love poking my nose in people's business. I cared about what was going on and did my best to help them. True, I failed more than I succeeded, but at least I tried."

"Why did she say that you were a freak?" Cameron asked.

"You both know that I was born naturally, right?" he asked and they nodded their heads. "Well, that made me a freak among the Time Lords. No one else had a bellybutton and some of them thought me inferior and I should have been destroyed."

"_My father included," _Duer thought after setting up a privacy blocked and sighed, closing his eyes for a second.

"Then why did she marry you?" Faith asked.

"It was one of those arranged marriages. If I had a choice, I would have waited until I met your mother to get married," he said and Frankie moved closer, kissing his cheek. "Now where was I?"

"You and Dex were going on a trip," Faith said as she snuggled closer and he wrapped his arms around her.


	177. Chapter 177

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Seven

"Rassilon," Dex gasped when he walked inside the control room and Duer smiled, closing the doors. His heart swelled with pride as he watched Dex walking around the console and the rotor moved up and down. Walking closer, Duer started moving levers, pushing buttons and turning switches while Dex watched when Duer nodded and pointed to the main lever. Dex grinned when he pulled the main lever and Duer sat down on the jump seat. The TARDIS hummed around them as Dex walked around the console and handed Duer the teddy bear. "This doesn't look like the control room simulation."

"Well, that's because she's an older model,' Duer said and Dex nodded his head.

"She is a Type 40 model," he said when he felt a warm blast of air blowing through his hair and Duer smiled. "What was that?"

"That was the TARDIS saying hello," he said and Dex smiled, patting the console.

"Hello," Dex said then looked at the screens and blinked. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to Earth."

"Mother says that there is nothing there but stupid apes," he sighed and Duer growled, balling his hand into a fist.

"Well, your mother is wrong. Humans are an amazing race. Over the centuries that they have roamed the Earth, they have experienced things that should have wiped them out, but they always survive, adapt and overcome whatever stands in their way."

"Mother says that they'll die off soon."

"Poppycock," he said as Dex frowned and Duer smiled at him. "It's an Earth word."

"I like it," Dex said when the TARDIS shivered then came to a halt and he looked at Duer. "Did we land?"

"No, there is something I want to show you," Duer said as he walked to the doors while Dex walked to him and Duer opened the doors. The Earth floated slightly below them as Dex' eyes went wide and Duer held him to his side.

"Rassilon," Dex whispered as Duer smiled and Dex looked up at him. "Is that the Earth?"

"Yes," he said with a nod of his head and Dex grinned.

"It's beautiful," he sighed and Duer nodded. He gently moved them back as the doors closed and Duer walked to the console. Dex half ran to the console as Duer looked at the screens then ruffled Dex' hair and pulled the main lever. The TARDIS hummed around them when they felt a slight bump and Dex looked from the screens to Duer. "Have we landed?"

"What? Oh, yes, we have landed," Duer said then looked at Dex and blinked. "But you can't go out dressed like that. Go to the wardrobe room and change, hmm. It's just through that door over there."

Nodding, Dex ran to the door as the door opened and he went inside the wardrobe room. A few minute later he came out wearing a pair of tan trousers, a cream color shirt and tan boots and Duer nodded, holding his hand out. Taking his hand, they walked to the doors as the door opened and they walked outside. Duer turned as he closed then locked the door when he held his hand out and they walked toward the dirt road to their left.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes, I know where I am now," Duer said while they walked along the dirt road and he swung Dex' hand back and forth. The trees surrounded them as Dex looked up at the blue sky and green leaves on the trees and gently squeezed Duer's fingers.

"Everything is green! Father, look at that!" he said as he pointed to the small fawn in the middle of the dirt road and Duer hushed him.

"That's a fawn, a baby deer," he whispered as Dex nodded and they watched the fawn tilting its head side to side. Neither of them moved when a large stag moved out of the bushes and some of the velvet covering on its eight point horns moved in the soft breeze. Duer nodded his head as the stag gently nudged the fawn and the stag and fawn moved off the dirt road. Dex grinned as Duer winked at him and they went down the dirt road.

"Are there more animals like that?" Dex asked and Duer nodded.

"Oh yes, there are many different forms of life on this world. Some of them are as large as that tree where some are so tiny that you have to lay on the ground to see them," Duer said as Dex' eyes filled with wonder and he understood why his father was so fascinated with the Earth.

"Do the humans live in harmony with the other life forms of this world?"

"Some of them do."

"What about the others?"

"Well, those are the ones that are just…"

"Stupid apes?" Dex asked as Duer laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Exactly," Duer said as he leaned down and winked. Suddenly they heard a loud splash and a tiny voice crying out as Duer looked around and headed into the forest. Dex chased after him when they came to a stream and a small boy was splashing in the water. "Oh dear, I don't think he can swim!"

Before Duer could say anything, Dex ran toward the stream when he dived into the water and swam toward the small boy. Both of them went under the water as Duer ran to the edge of the stream and sighed when he saw their heads coming to the surface.

"Over here!" Duer said as Dex held onto the small boy and swam toward him. Duer held his hands out when he took hold of the small boy and Dex crawled out of the water, sitting down on the ground next to him. The small boy sobbed while Duer held him and rocked him back and forth. The small boy looked to be about five years old and was wearing a white shirt, a kilt and tan boots and had light brown hair. Duer hushed him as he sat on the rock and sat the small boy on his lap. Sniffing, the small boy wiped his nose on the sleeve of his shirt and Duer wiped the tears out of his hazel eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Aye," the small boy said with a nod of his head and sniffed.

"Well, mind telling me how you ended up in the stream?" he asked with a smile and the small boy sighed.

"My cousins were trying tae teach me tae swim," he said and Duer looked around, but didn't see anyone and the small boy's lower lip stuck out as he pouted. "They ran off when I started sinking."

"The nerve," Duer said then ruffled the small boy's wet hair and smiled. "Well, I guess Dex and I should take you home, eh?"

"Nay, I can find my way. Thank ye," the small boy said then got off Duer's lap and started running for the dirt road.

"Wait! What's your name?" Dex shouted as the small boy smiled and placed his hands on his hips.

"My name's Jamie!" the small boy shouted then ran off and Dex looked at Duer. Shrugging, Duer stood up as they headed toward the dirt road and Duer slid his fingers around Dex' hand, smiling down at him.

"Wait, Daddy, that little boy Dex rescued. Was that…?" Faith asked and Duer smiled.

"Yep, Dex saved Jamie's life," Duer said and they gave him a shocked look.

"I thought you couldn't interfere with someone's timeline," Frankie said.

"I didn't. Dex did. And how do we know that his saving Jamie's life wasn't supposed to happen?" Duer asked while arching an eyebrow at them and Frankie smiled, rolling her eyes. Faith yawned as she snuggled closer and Duer looked at her, stroking her hair. "Do you want me to carry you up to your room so you can have a nap?"

Faith nodded as he carefully got up and headed for the stairs and she placed her head against his shoulder. Smiling, he kissed the top of her head as they went up the stairs and headed down the hallway. Duer kicked the door open with his foot as he headed for the bed when Elby, Faith's chibi doll, ran out of its dollhouse and Duer smiled, seeing Elby dressed in surgical scrubs.

"She just broken her wrist," he teased as Elby nodded then vanished into its dollhouse. Elby came out a few seconds later, dressed in red and white striped pajamas, as Duer placed Faith on the bed and took her shoes off. She hissed as he removed the sling then slid her up toward the pillows and placed one of her teddy bears under the cast, kissing her hair. "Now, I want you to go to sleep."

"Ok, Daddy," she said while Elby climbed up onto the bed and walked toward her. Elby crawled under her good arm as she held it against her side and Duer smiled. "Daddy, did you make up that part about Dex saving Jamie?"

"Nope," he said then headed for the door and turned, looking at her. Faith closed her eyes as he watched her and Elby drifting off to sleep then he softly patted the wall and left the room.


	178. Chapter 178

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Eight

The Doctor yawned and stretched as he walked into his TARDIS. He was about to attend a meeting with his brothers in the lab. They were going to discuss how to improve their sonic screwdrivers so they could work on things such as wood or dead-lock seals. He walked towards the back door of the console room and was shocked to see the TARDIS had moved the stairs to his wardrobe room to the back door. Curious, he walked up the stairs and smiled when he heard his six year old daughter giggling and she, Faith and Aderyn talking and laughing. He reached the second level where the women's clothes were kept and saw the three little girls amid the clothing. They were trying on the clothes, playing dress-up while they laughed. The Doctor smiled, put his hands in his pockets and walked over to them. His daughter had on a pink dress that was slightly big for her and was wearing a straw sun hat. Her daughter walked over to him when he approached.

"We're playing with the clothes," she said to him.

"I see that," the Doctor replied, tousling her hair affectionately. "Just be careful and don't rip the clothes while you play with them."

"Wait," Faith said when he started to leave them, "where are you going?"

"I'm going to go have a chat with you father and uncles in the lab. We're going to be working on our sonic screwdrivers so be good," he said, patting Faith on the shoulder.

He walked back down the stairs and requested that the TARDIS move the lab door to the door in front of him. The rooms shifted and he saw his brothers sitting around a metal table. Alan was making notes while Shilah was drawing schematics. All the brothers were throwing ideas back and forth while they talked. They looked up when the Doctor entered the room.

"Aha, the leader has finally graced us with his appearance," Alan said.

"Yes, I made a slight diversion, courtesy of the TARDIS," the Doctor said, sitting down in the empty seat that was near the head of the table. "The youngest ones are playing up in the wardrobe room and I s'pose the TARDIS wanted me to see where they were."

"And what are they doing?" Jack asked him.

"Being kids. Playing dress up with the clothes. Wearing pretty frocks and pretending to be princesses, that sort of thing," the Doctor said to him.

"Sooo, having more fun than we are," Adam said.

"Pretty much," the Doctor said. "But let's return to the problem at hand. What have you lot come up with that will help us improve our screwdrivers?"

"Weeeell," Amato said, "we could go fetch River and ask her what you did to her screwdriver. As I recall, the one she had in the Library was far superior."

"Yes, but it still didn't work on wood or dead-lock seals," the Doctor pointed out, "that's my main concern, especially the dead-lock seals. So…what have you lot come up with, any ideas?"

While they chatted amongst themselves, Hope wandered into the room. She was wearing a blue dress with a matching blue bonnet and she was pushing a toy shopping trolley. Alan glanced at her and smiled when she came into the room and walked over to some metal cabinets near the door. Alan watched while she pretended to grab imaginary cans from the air and put them in her trolley. By now, everyone was watching her and John nudged Shilah before he got up and walked over to her.

"Hullo," John said to her.

"Hullo, do you have beef? I need some minced meat," Hope said to him.

"Oh? How much meat do you need, Madam?" John said while the others chuckled.

"Um…400 pounds," Hope said.

"Really?" John said while everyone laughed. "Well…let's see…"

He walked over to Jack while Hope followed with her trolley.

"Hmm, Jack…you're a bit beefy. I think if we take you and Amato and perhaps Shilah, we might be able to get 400 pounds of meat for Madam," John said.

"Wait, why me? Why not you?" Shilah asked him.

"Because I'm the butcher and you're the cows," John said while Hope giggled.

"Cows, eh?" the Doctor said, glancing at Alan beside him.

"Moo," Alan said.

"There you go, slaughter Alan, he's willing to be a cow," John said, pointing to Alan.

"Slaughter Jack, you kill him and he comes back to life with more meat on his bones," Alan said.

Hope walked over to her father and peered at the schematics on the table.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked.

"Working on our screwdrivers, trying to make them better," the Doctor said, putting his arm around her.

"Yeah, got any ideas about how to make them better since you're here?" Amato asked her.

"Um…you go find a fairy and you say to her, you use your magic and make my screwdriver better," Hope said.

She giggled when everyone looked at each other.

"So…I say we put Jack in charge of fairy finding," Alan said. "Then Amato can beat her up and make her improve our screwdrivers."

"Then you can ask her to make us cake and we can have a tea party," Hope said.

"Great, Jack and Amato can kidnap the fairy so we can fix our screwdrivers and have a tea party," Alan said.

The Doctor looked over when Faith and Aderyn entered the room. Both girls were wearing their own clothes.

"Hey, where'd you go? I thought we were playing House," Faith said, walking up to Hope.

"I'm talking to Daddy,"Hope replied.

"Yeah!" Alan said, getting up and getting down into Faith's face.

Alan stared at her with wide eyes until Faith giggled. When he turned around, he saw that the TARDIS had encased Hope in a force field bubble. Hope laughed when the TARDIS moved the bubble until it was sitting on top of the Doctor's head.

"And now my ship has decided to be cheeky," the Doctor said to the others while Hope lay down on her stomach and watched him. "Anyway, back to business."

"I have an idea," Amato said. "Aderyn, can you go back into the house and go get your father? Maybe Kosh will be able to help us. Can you do that?"

"Yes, I'll go," Aderyn said.

She and Faith hurried out of the room while the Doctor glanced up at his daughter still perched above his head in the bubble.

"Hi," she said to him.

"You don't wanna go with them?" he asked his daughter.

"No, I wanna stay with you, Daddy."

"Hey, maybe we can pop this thing like a bubble," Alan said, getting up.

He walked over to the bubble and Hope giggled when he jabbed his pen at it repeatedly, pretending to pop the force field bubble.

"No, no, no,"Adam said, "smack it like a piñata."

He stood up, walked over and batted at it. Hope squealed with delight when the TARDIS moved the bubble around the room, bouncing it off the walls.

"There ya go, problem solved," Adam said, sitting back down with Alan. "Now…about the screwdriver…"

Alan laughed when the bubble came back and settled on his head. Hope got on her hands and knees and looked at him.

"Hi," she said to Adam.

"Hello, annoying bubble woman," Adam said. "Would you mind floating away so I can concentrate on the task at hand without a bubble on my head?"

"I think that's the TARDIS, she's feeling wacky today," the Doctor said to him.

"Well, she can be wacky while keeping the bubble off my head," Adam said.

He gasped when the TARDIS enlarged the bubble and surrounded him and and his chair. Hope who had gently came down behind him giggled when the TARDIS lifted the bubble away from the table and floated around them the room.

"Hmmm, this is relaxing, I have to admit," Adam said while Hope stood up and came to his side.

Koschei came into the room with Aderyn and Faith. He stopped short and stared at Adam and Hope while the others giggled.

"Um, is there some reason for this?" Koschei said, gesturing to the bubble.

"The TARDIS is being silly," the Doctor said with a shrug.

"Uh-huh, well, just as long as she doesn't make the bubble disappear over my head," he said, walking up to the others. "So…you need my assistance?"

The Doctor explained what they were doing and Koschei chuckled.

"Sonic screwdrivers are rubbish. Laser screwdrivers are better," he said.

Jack chuckled when the Doctors and clones stared at him in silence.

"Actually, a laser blaster is better than both but they won't listen to that," Jack said to Koschei as he pulled up a chair beside him. "Old habits die hard, I guess."

"Um, is he going to hover like that for the rest of the night or is he going to be a part of this meeting?" Koschei said, pointing to Adam.

The TARDIS lowered Adam and shrunk the bubble till only Hope was in it. She floated up while Adam pulled his chair up to the table. There was a flash and a pink blanket appeared under Hope's body and a black teddy bear appeared beside her. Hope picked up the teddy bear while the TARDIS maneuvered the bubble over behind the Doctor. He smiled fondly at her when he gazed over his shoulder and turned his attention back to the meeting. While they talked, Rose came into the room with a ham sandwich on a plate and a glass of milk. Alan blinked when she set it down in front of him, patted his head and walked away.

"Um…thank you, my loving, fill my needs spousal unit," Alan said to her.

"Hey, where's my sandwich and milk then?" the Doctor yelled to her.

Rose turned around, walked back to him and everyone watched in silence as she kissed the top of his head, a thirty second kiss the ended with a loud "Mmmwah!" before she walked away again.

"Be right back," the Doctor said, getting up from the table.

Everyone laughed when he hurried out the door, the bubble at his back as he followed Rose.

"Never a dull day, eh lads?" Shilah said to the others before they resumed their meeting.


	179. Chapter 179

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Nine

Rain chatted with Julie in her living room while they sipped tea. At their feet, Anne and Elizabeth lay curled up under the coffee table while they napped. Suddenly they heard Rose calling for help. They looked over when she hurried through the garage door followed by the Doctor who was following close behind while he pointed to his puckered lips. Behind him, Hope was carrying the blanket and had her teddy bear in the crook of her arm while she followed her father into the living room.

"I made a terrible mistake," Rose said when she reached the coffee table, "I decided to give this twonk a sarcastic kiss on the head and now he won't leave me alone."

Rain and Julie looked around her at the Doctor who was standing directly behind her, lips still puckered while he pointed to them repeatedly. Anne and Elizabeth walked over to Hope who dropped her blanket and petted them while she stood behind her father and watched the scene played out. Rain and Julie chuckled at the exasperated look on Rose's face while the Doctor continued to make the fish face. Then he neared closer to her, leaned over and breathed heavily through his nose into her hair while he kept his lips puckered.

"If you don't stop that, I'll twist your head off and play football with it," Rose said.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the Doctor step away from her. She looked over her shoulder and watched him walk over to his stereo that was resting in the bookcase near the holo-television. Suddenly, the opening notes of Mamma Mia came out of the speakers. Rose turned around at the same time the Doctor spun around with an intense look in his eyes.

"I've been cheated by you and I think I know when!" he sang to her while he thrust his finger at her. "And so I made up my mind it must come to an end."

"Yeah, that's nice, Doctor," Rose said dryly while Julie and Rain laughed and nudged each other.

Rose's eyes bulged when the Doctor began to dance around while he sang Mamma Mia to her. Hope dropped everything and began to follow him around while the dogs followed behind her. Then on the chorus, the Doctor rushed up to her face.

"Mamma mia, here I go again, my, my, how can I resist ya?"

"Yeah, really funny, Doctor," Rose said while Rain and Julie laughed.

"Well, perhaps I'm having regrets about giving you over to Nutsy that day," the Doctor said with a shrug.

"Nutsy?" Rose said, raising her eyebrow while Rain and Julie laughed harder. "Yeah, I think that's my cue to leave, so…bye…"

"So, I wanna know…what's the name of the game? Does it mean anything to yooou?" the Doctor sang to her as she followed Rose out the garage door.

"We have an interesting family, no doubt about it," Julie said to Rain.

"That we do," Rain said with a nod.

"Should we stop him before he sexually assaults Rose?" Julie asked her.

"Nah, I think Sis can handle him on her own, she'll be fine," Rain said with a shrug.

"Daddy's silly," Hope said as she walked over to the sofa and sat down beside Julie.

"Yup, he's very silly, that's one of the things I love about him," Rain said to her while the dogs jumped up beside Hope and lay down. "He does all these spontaneous things that make the marriage fun."

_And do some of these spontaneous things happen in the bedroom?_ Julie thought to her after setting up a quick privacy block.

Rain gave her a knowing smile and Julie chuckled before she lowered the block. They looked over at the door when Rose ran through it. Behind her, the Doctor and his brothers sped through it singing Dancing Queen at the top of their lungs.

"Heeeeeeelp!" Rose said while the women howled with laughter.

"You're all nuts, I hope you know this," Koschei said, coming into the room after Faith and Aderyn ran in. "No wonder work doesn't get done around here, they're too busy doing things like this."

"Can you blame us, we're bored!" Duer said as him and his brothers tried to surround Rose. "Why fix screwdrivers when you can form a chorus line and annoy Rose Tyler instead?"

"I say we do a rousing round of Waterloo now!" Jack yelled.

"No, no! First we have to tie the spousal unit to a chair so she must listen to Waterloo," Alan said.

"Fine," Rose said to him. "I won't be getting you anymore sandwiches and milk from now on."

"I can get my own," Alan said with a shrug. "I'd rather scream Money, Money, Money into your ear, it's much more fun."

"Well, if you're going to pretend you're in a musical, I'm going to get some tea," Koschei said, walking past them.

"Oh come on, love, play along," Julie said to him.

"Look, I'm sorry, I'm not used to breaking into song and following people around while I scream cheesy songs from musicals in their ear," Koschei said. "I'm surprised you're doing it," he added as he glanced at Amato.

"Nothing wrong with show tunes," Amato said with a shrug.

"Yes, especially if Rose gets irritated by them," Jack said gleefully. "Now, how about we tie her to a chair and sing all the songs from Hairspray now?"

"You know the songs from Hairspray?" Adam said, amused.

"Oh, I might have amused Ianto with my rendition of Run and Tell That a time or two," he said to him.

"Wow, now I have an urge to go visit Torchwood so Jack can show us that," Shilah said.

"Nah, I think we should take Koschei to a musical," John said. "Get the bloke used to being around us and being around show tunes."

"And the whole let's fix our screwdrivers and make them better goes right out the door, eh?" Koschei said.

"He's right, we need to put our noses to the grindstone and get back to the problem at hand," the Doctor said.

"What about Rose? Can we tie her to a chair and take her with us so we can sing as we brainstorm?" Alan said.

"Don't even think about it," Rose said to them.

"Um…nah, I like my nose, it's brilliant, I don't want it bent and ruined because she broke it in four places," the Doctor said. "Let's get back to work. Come along, little dwarves, back to the TARDIS."

Koschei shook his head when the Doctor's brother formed a queue behind him and they marched off into the garage singing Hi-Ho. Hope, Faith, Aderyn and the dogs followed behind them while Rose sat back down on the sofa. Koschei shook his head again as the sound of their singing got softer and softer the further they got into the TARDIS.

"Julie, if I come back from this meeting a babbling, singing idiot, commit me to Crystal Waters as soon as possible," Koschei said before he headed towards the garage.


	180. Chapter 180

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty

"I am what I am…." Jack sang the song "I Am What I Am" from La Cage Aux Folles as they walked back into the meeting room and Adam nudged Alan. Jack kept singing as he strolled around the room and Koschei sighed, sitting down on the chair. "I don't want praise…I don't want pity!"

"It's a pity that you don't sing professionally, Jack. You got a great voice," Amato said as he sat down and Jack blushed then hopped onto the table and threw his head back with his arms out wide.

"Life's not worth a damn 'til you can say hey world I am…what…I am!" Jack sang out and they clapped their hands. Jack did a few bows when he climbed off the table and sat down next to Amato, who nudged Koschei and Koschei rolled his eyes.

"Is that from a musical, too?" he asked and Jack nodded.

"Encore!" Adam and Alan shouted as the Doctor laughed and sat down then noticed that Duer had his feet on the table and was tossing his sonic screwdriver into the air. Duer's sonic screwdriver was slightly longer than the other sonic screwdrivers and extended at the middle after Duer pushed a button. There were also four prongs at one end and the sonic screwdriver had a green light instead of a blue light. Duer's mother, Delmari, had made the sonic screwdriver for him while he was in exile and Duer tossed the sonic screwdriver into the air, watching it spinning around in circles.

"Bored, are we?" Adam said while scooting his chair over next to Duer's chair and grabbed the sonic screwdriver out of the air.

"Give that back," Duer said and Adam shook his head, grinning at him.

"Nope, it's mine now!" he said as he got up and headed for the door.

"Give it back!" Duer growled as he stood up and Adam stood in the doorway, tossing the sonic screwdriver in the air then caught it.

"Come and get it!" Adam shouted as he ran out of the room and Duer chased after him. Adam laughed as he jumped into the air then ran faster and Duer growled, running faster down the hallway. Running backwards, Adam stuck his tongue at him when Duer skid to a halt and blink his wide eyes. "What are you looking at?"

"What is going on here?" Clara asked as Adam skid to a halt and turned slowly around, seeing her behind him. Rose had called her after they had gone back into the TARDIS and Adam swallowed hard, holding the sonic screwdriver to his chest. Clara had adopted Duer, Adam, John and Amato as her sons after she had come to live with them and she folded her arms over her chest, glaring at him. "Is that yours?"

"Uh," Adam said as he looked down at the sonic screwdriver while Duer walked closer and stood next to him.

"No, it's mine!" Duer said as he grabbed the sonic screwdriver out of Adam's hand and Adam looked down at his feet.

"Why did you take Duer's sonic screwdriver?" Clara asked, giving Adam a stern look.

"I took it because he's always bragging that it's better than mine," Adam said and Duer slightly smiled.

"Well, it is better than yours! Can yours do this?" he asked as he pushed the button and the sonic screwdriver extended at the middle.

"No, it can't do that."

"Does it have these cool prongs on the end?" Duer said as he waved the four prongs under Adam's nose and Adam pouted, sticking out his lower lip.

"No," Adam sighed and Duer shined the green light into Adam's eyes.

"Does it have a cool green light on the end?" Duer asked and Adam gently smacked the sonic screwdriver out of his face.

"No, it doesn't, and that's why I took it! We're trying to figure out how to improve ours and yours is…."

"Brilliant?" Duer asked while wiggling his eyebrows up and down then coughed as Clara glared at him and Duer sighed, looking at his feet.

"Tell him you're sorry," Clara said as Adam looked from her to Duer then back again and sighed.

"Do I have to?" Adam asked.

"Yes, you do," she said and Adam sighed.

"I'm sorry," Adam whispered and Duer moved closer, placing his ear closer to Adam's face.

"Sorry, I didn't hear that," Duer said with a grin and Adam rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry that I took your stupid screwdriver," he said and Clara coughed, arching her eyebrow.

"Want to try that again?" she asked and Adam sighed, rolling his eyes again.

"I'm sorry that I took your screwdriver," Adam said then sank to his knees and grabbed onto Duer's hips, placing his forehead against Duer's stomach. "Please forgive me! I am a lowly worm, who isn't worthy of even looking at your wonderful sonic screwdriver! I shouldn't even be in the same hemisphere as such a wonderful tool! Oh, Great One, please don't hate me!"

"Are you sure this isn't Alan?" Clara asked as Duer laughed and patted Adam on the head.

"No, this is Adam. He's just been hanging out with Alan too long," he said then looked down at Adam and ruffled Adam's hair. "You can get up now."

"Oh, a million thanks, My Master," Adam said as he crawled down the hallway then got up and ran down the hallway. Shaking his head, Duer laughed as he placed the sonic screwdriver in his pocket and Clara smiled at him. "He is right. I do think it's better than his."

"Why do you think that?" she asked and Duer sighed, brushing his fingers through his hair.

"I think it's because my mother made it for me. See, on my Gallifrey, it was the mother who made a cadet his or her first sonic screwdriver. She made one for my brother but my…Rassilon told her not to make one for me." Duer said then sighed and Clara nodded. Delmari had told her about Duer's childhood and that Rassilon wasn't Duer's father and Clara gently stroked Duer's hair, making him smile.

"I bet that hurt," she said and he nodded.

"I thought for the longest time that she hated me just as much as he did. It wasn't until I was reunited with her that she told me that he told her not to make one for me and I was thrilled when she gave me this one," Duer said, taking the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket again. "It's modeled after her sonic screwdriver."

"I wish I could do something like that for Merzet," she said and Duer soft giggled.

"Sorry."

"Oh, that's alright…Muppy," she said and his eyes went wide. The only person that called him "Muppy" was his mother and Clara smiled at him.

"Do you want to come help us figure out how to improve our sonic screwdrivers?"

"No, but I will tell you this. Behave or I will bring YOUR mother with me the next time!" she said and Duer's mouth fell open.

"You wouldn't!" he said and she grinned at him. "You would."

"Yep," she said as she popped the "p" and patted his cheek. He watched her turn then walk away as he placed the sonic screwdriver in his pocket and smiled. Shaking his head, he headed down the hallway while whistling "Momma Mia" and placed his hands in his pockets.

"Is everything alright? Adam told me that my mother was here," the Doctor said as Duer walked back into the meeting room then sat down and placed his feet on top of the table.

"Yeah, everything's fine. She just told me to tell you that she'll bring MY mother with her the next time that we goof off. So, I suggest that we get busy and figure out what to do because the last thing I want is to face my mother when she's mad," Duer said as they nodded and Duer looked over at Adam, seting up a privacy block.

"_If you behave, I'll have Mom make you a sonic screwdriver just like mine," _Duer thought as Adam appeared inside his head and was marching around with a cardboard sign that read I HAVE THE BEST BROTHER IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE. Scooting his chair closer, Adam placed his head on Duer's shoulder as Duer rolled his eyes then smiled and gently patted the top of Adam's head.


	181. Chapter 181

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty One

Rain brushed her long, dark hair as she stood in front of the full length mirror on the back of the closet door. She, Hope, the Doctor, Alan and Rose were going on an outing and she had just finished changing into jean shorts and a dark blue tank top. While she was combing her hair, Hope wandered into the bedroom, dressed in jean shorts and a pink t-shirt. Rain smiled lovingly when Hope walked over to her.

"Hey, baby, ready to go to the beach today?" she asked Hope.

"Yes," Hope said, going over to the bed and sitting on the side of it.

Rain continued to brush her hair and frowned when she noticed silence coming from her daughter. She glanced over and saw a thoughtful look on her face while she stared at the floor.

"What's wrong?" she asked Hope.

"Mummy, can I have a wedding?" Hope said, looking at her.

"Wedding? Who do you wanna marry?"

"Daddy."

Rain's hearts melted and she put down her brush so she could go embrace her. Her daughter had wanted to marry her father since the age of three. She wasn't the first one that did that, Namid and Sokanon had also expressed that wish and Rain thought it was indicative of how much love he gave all of them along with the level of charisma he naturally possessed. Rain kissed Hope's forehead.

"Baby, I told you before, you can't do that. You have to be his daughter,okay?"

"Yes. But I love Daddy bunches!" Hope said.

"I know but you can love him bunches as his daughter," Rain said, rubbing her back.

The Doctor entered the room and a grin spread across his face when his daughter hopped off the bed and ran to him.

"Ah! Are you ready for a fun Florida day on the beach, my treasure?" he asked her.

"Yes!" Hope said, reaching up for a hug.

"She wants to marry you again," Rain said to him.

"Aw, you do?" the Doctor said, giving her a hug. "I'm sorry, love. But if I married you, Daddy would probably have to leave New Gallifrey before someone decided to put him in Volag Nok for offenses against children. But, you can still be my delightful daughter, yeah?"

Hope kissed his cheek and the Doctor felt his hearts melt. They melted more when he picked her up and she giggled and held on to him.

"So, my little beach bunnies, ready for sand, surf and smiles?" he asked them.

"I'm ready and I think she's ready, but…"

Rain pointed to the Doctor's usual brown suit and gave him a pointed look. The Doctor gave her a haughty look.

"I intend to take this off; I just want to do it closer to the time of arrival. I don't want to show my body to anyone before it's time."

"Yeah, cause the lily whiteness will blind everyone."

The Doctor's mouth fell open and he eyed Rain when she quickly ran past him out the door. He looked at his daughter.

"Your mum just insulted me in a cheeky way," he said to her.

"Good."

Hope giggled when the Doctor stared at her with mock anger. Then he smiled when she kissed his cheek and said softly that she loved him. He held her as he went out the door and went downstairs. He sat her down and smiled when Hope asked him to play with her. He thought for a moment and asked her if she wanted to play School. She nodded and the Doctor got a pad of paper and a pencil off the table by the sofa. About a year ago, he had started looking for ways to teach his daughter without it seeming boring to her lest she tuned out his lessons. That's when Rain suggested he turn it into a game called School. She chuckled when her husband gave her an odd look and asked her what she meant.

"Well, you know how she and her friends play House and pretend to be mommy and daddy and the children and run a pretend household?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Okay, well, another game I used to play with my friends growing up was School. We would pretend to be in school and give each other assignments. Someone would be the teacher and teach the others. Just tell her that it's a game called School and give her simple assignments. Turn it into a game, Thete, just like Mary Poppins suggests."

The Doctor tried her strategy and was overjoyed to find that she was eager to do it. He started teaching her to read and giving her simple math problems while pretending to be her teacher. She and eventually Faith and Aderyn started playing the game and the Doctor used some of the free time his daughter had to give her a little lesson here and there. One year later, his five year old daughter was reading and performing math above her age level and the Doctor was thrilled. So while they waited for Alan and Rose to come, he decided to give her some math problems to work out. He gave her twenty addition and subtraction problems, jotting them down on a piece of paper and then instructing her to try and solve them. Her daughter lay on her stomach on the sofa and began to speak softly while she worked out the problems. The Doctor smiled lovingly and went into the kitchen while she did that. Rain was inside the kitchen, brewing some tea.

"You just love that I gave you that idea, didn't ya?" she said to him when he entered.

"Absolutely. I've been able to teach her and she treats it like a game which makes her more eager to listen and learn. Brilliant strategy. Ah, if only the elders had thought of that when I growing up."

"Maybe you wouldn't have done lousy in school?" Rain teased.

"Nah, I was too brilliant for school. That's why I barely showed any interest," the Doctor said, waving his hand dismissively. "I was born to travel and that's all I was meant to do."

There was a knock at the door followed by her daughter yelling at them that someone was at the door. The Doctor hurried to the door, opened it and Alan leaned in and touched noses.

"Many greetings, my mirror image. I have come to be the jester and lighten the mood on our beach holiday."

"And I'm the git who just tags along," Rose said, standing behind him.

"She's grumpy today. Hasn't had her cuppa, bless," Alan said softly.

The Doctor laughed when Rose gave him a playful shove and stepped around him. Hope ran towards her and she gave her a tight hug as Rain came out of the kitchen.

"I'm playing School," Hope told Rose. "Daddy's my teacher."

"Really? What are ya studying?" Rose asked.

"Maths."

"Ooo, can I take over for ya, Brother. I'll make the kid learn or else you can flog me unmercifully with a Dalek's plunger."

"Love, do we have a Dalek's plunger handy so I'll be ready to flog him?" the Doctor asked Rain.

"Um, might be one in the closet somewhere," Rain said. "Or if you're feeling really brave, you can search your TARDIS."

"Ooo, don't do that, he might get lost and never come back," Alan said. "Old age, going senile, ya know. Bless! Anywhoooo, onto lessons, come along, little impressionable child who has a head I must fill up with knowledge."

"Yeah, impressionable child, that alone should prompt you to get Hope away from him," Rose said, hooking her thumb back at Alan.

The Doctor jerked his head back when Alan ran back to him and began rifling through his pockets.

"Aha!" he said, pulling out his glasses and putting them on. "Gotta look wise for the little poppet, bless!"

Rose sighed and shook her head when Alan sprinted back to Hope who was lying down on the sofa again.

"Now, shall we get to learning, my little pupil?" he said to her as he leaned over.

He studied the sheet of paper and the few answers she had managed to put down. He nodded.

"Very good, vessel of knowledge, however, you need something a bit more challenging. Allow me, my faithful student."

Alan picked up the pad of paper turned to the next blank sheet and began to write down a problem for her to solve. The Doctor could tell by the confused look on her face when he handed the pad back to her that it was something she couldn't solve in a hundred zillion years.

"Now, I want you to work out this equation within five minutes and you shall have a pony," Alan said. "Go! I'm now timing you!"

Alan walked away with a huge grin on his face. Everyone else looked at Hope who was just staring at the equation in a confused silence. The Doctor walked over, glanced at it and saw it was some complicated quantum algebra equation that even he couldn't work out within five minutes. Hope looked up at him and pointed to it.

"How do you do this?" she asked him.

"You don't, this is something you'll learn later once you turn twenty and have your Time Lady mind," the Doctor said while Alan sniggered. "Just do the equations I gave you," he added, flipping over the first sheet of paper and handing the pad back to her.

"But shouldn't she be doing quantum algebra by now? She is your offspring, after all," Alan said.

"All in good time. But for now, she'll learn how to add and subtract," the Doctor said.

Alan walked over to Hope. She looked at him when he bent over and peered at her through the Doctor's spectacles.

"Here's a maths problem for you to solve," he said to her. "Rose and I are standing in our house; suddenly I shove her in the cupboard and lock it, how many people are left?"

Rose walked over to Hope and bent over.

"Ignore him, he's rubbish as a teacher," she said to Hope while she patted her head. "You keep listening to your daddy, he's a great teacher."

Alan stuck his tongue out at her and discreetly flipped her the vees as she turned and smugly walked away.


	182. Chapter 182

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Two

After putting on their flip flops and gathering up the things they'd need for the beach, everyone got into the TARDIS. The dogs were already inside, resting on the jump seat in the console room. They leapt down off the seat and walked over to the Doctor, wagging their tails. The Doctor patted their heads before going over to his monitor. While he inputted their destination, Alan walked in front of Hope. Still wearing the spectacles, he got down in her face while she giggled.

"Finished with those equations?" he asked.

"Yes. And Daddy said all of them were correct," Hope said proudly.

"Finish my equation?" he asked.

"No, cause Daddy said I didn't have to," Hope said.

"Very well, here's another equation for you to solve. Follow," Alan said, walking towards the Doctor.

The Doctor froze when Alan came up to his side and put his hands around his neck.

"Now…" Alan said as he held his hands there, "if I twist your daddy's head off like a dandelion head and make him regenerate, how many lives will Headless have had in total?"

"If I plant my fist in Alan's face and make him sail across the room into the wall, how many days will it take before he wakes up and how many days after that will it take before he recovers all his wits?" the Doctor said while Rain and Rose giggled.

"If I say I'm gonna marry Daddy, how many days before it's gonna happen," Hope said.

The Doctor sniggered when Alan was caught off guard by that.

"Oh? She wants to marry you?" Alan asked the Doctor.

"Very much so," the Doctor said, putting his hand on Hope's shoulder.

"Say, I'm the same as him, wanna marry me?" Alan said, leaning down.

"No."

"No? Why not? I'm a bazillion times more charming, fun and handsome and I have a Stitch tattoo," he said, pulling up his sleeve and showing her.

He grinned at the Doctor when Hope walked over and stared at the tattoo.

"See, pays to ink your skin sometimes, Brother," he said to the Doctor.

"Yes, I'm sure the other inmates at Volag Nok will enjoy your inked skin along with other things they'll enjoy that I won't mention in the presence of my five year old daughter, Mister Child Predator," the Doctor said.

Rain and Rose laughed at the incensed look on Alan's face as he straightened up and pulled down his sleeve.

"Yes, well, I suppose she is a bit young, however, she's young enough I can put her in my pocket and carry her away to my house so she can be my daughter forever more," Alan said.

"Mmm, well, remember that fist in face I mentioned before, that can become a reality, you know," the Doctor said.

Alan leaned down to Hope.

"He likes to threaten my life, bless," he said to her. "He doesn't realize I could punch his lights out before he…"

He was cut off when the Doctor seized the top of his right ear and tugged on it. He let out a squeal of pain while Rain and Rose looked at each other. The Doctor let go and hurried away while Alan glared at him and rubbed his aching ear. The TARDIS landed and Alan sighed as he walked with his brother to the back room so they could change into their swim trunks and t-shirts.

When they were ready, they stepped outside. They were across the road from the beach in a vacant lot.

"So…where are we?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"The seventh level of Hell where there are duplicates who pull your ears," Alan hissed at her.

"Yeah, well, you deserved it, ya git," Rose said while Rain bent over laughing. "You keep running your gob and thinking you can say anything you like without consequences. Well, this time you got your just desserts. So anyway, where are we, Doctor?"

"The seventh level of Hell where there are…"

Alan laughed when the Doctor shut up and gave Rose an innocent look the moment she eyed him.

"Okay, we're in Miami," the Doctor said.

"Are you going swimming, Daddy?" Hope asked him.

"If you pay me five quid, I will," he said to her.

Rain laughed when Hope asked her for money so he could swim. She squealed when the Doctor swept her up and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Only pulling your leg, love. Yes, I will swim."

"Please, God, let there be a shark out there today."

Alan bent over laughing when the Doctor's mouth dropped open and he turned to face Rose who now had the innocent look on her face.

"I could shove you inside and take you back home, you know," the Doctor said to her.

Rose sprinted past him.

"Gotta catch me first!" she yelled over her shoulder while she ran across the road.

Alan sidled up to the Doctor while Rain took hold of Hope's hand and walked with her across the road.

"Now see, you gave her to me and missed out on all her cheekiness," Alan said to the Doctor.

"Brother," the Doctor said, picking up the duffle bags containing their supplies for the beach, "I had enough of her cheekiness to last me several lifetimes and that's before I left her with you. But then again, you should know that since you have all those memories."

"Eh? Can't hear ya," Alan said, putting a hand to his right ear. "I'm sorry, someone yanked on me ear and made me deef. Speak louder."

He ran away when the Doctor took a huge breath and tried to put his mouth next to his ear so he could yell in it.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," the Doctor said, following him across the road.

As he walked, he noticed that Hope was waiting for him patiently. Alan stopped beside her.

"Do that equation I gave you!" he said, pointing at her.

"NO!" Hope said before Alan ran over towards Rose.

"Is he bothering you with that crazy equation?" the Doctor said when he reached her.

"He's being silly, Daddy."

"Yes, he does that," the Doctor said.

He smiled when Hope took the smaller black duffle bag and carried it while he carried the large red one. It was a beautiful summer day with a light, warm breeze. The beach was crowded with people of all ages and sizes and the surf rolled in and crashed on the sandy shore. They chose a spot near the back and spread out beach blankets. Rain and Rose sat on a red one and chatted while Alan spread out a purple one and laid out with a sigh. The Doctor spread out a smurf one for Hope and a green one for himself. The Doctor sat down and took his shirt off.

"Blindness alert!" Rain said.

Alan snickered and the women giggled when the Doctor shot her a look.

"Ooo-ee, look at that white chest, you'd think he'd been living his life in a cave," Rain said to Rose while the Doctor cocked his eyebrow.

He has been living his life in a cave, it's called the TARDIS," Rose replied.

"And now because of that, everyone here will wonder where the mini sun came from before they find out it's just him," Rain said to her.

"You know what? I think I'll take you up on that offer of marriage," the Doctor teased Hope. "Least you don't make fun of me in public."

He looked at Alan and noticed his brother hadn't taken off his shirt yet. Alan glanced at him and read his mind before snorting.

"Are you kidding? I'm smart enough not to subject myself to mini sun comments. I'll wait till they're out of sight before taking my shirt off, thanks."

"In that case, we'll just sit here," Rose said.

"Suit yourself, doesn't bother me none," Alan said with a shrug before closing his eyes.

He opened his right eye when Hope walked over, lay down and snuggled with him. He looked at the Doctor.

"Blimey, they're right, the mini sun does scare people, eh?" he said to his brother.

The Doctor didn't reply. He got up and everyone watched while he ran to the water.

"Cover your eyes, everyone, supernova is passing by," Rain said while Rose giggled.

"Here now, that's not very polite," Alan said to them.

"And you're the perfect example of politeness?" Rose said to him.

"No, but that's still not very polite," Alan said. "The poor man is lily white, pasty and has a slight beer gut but that's no reason to be rude towards him. Be rude when he's out of earshot like I'm doing."

"Nice role model for your niece," Rain said to him.

"And you're being the perfect role model by calling your husband a small sun in front of her. She might be traumatized for life now," Alan retorted. "For shame, Rain, for shaaaame."

"I SAID TO GET OVER HERE NOW!"

Everyone fell silent when they heard a woman bellowing near them. Hope sat up and Alan rose up on his elbows. They saw a three year old Asian girl walking away from her mother. The mother, sitting on a sea green beach blanket about twenty feet from where they were, was screaming at her to come back. The Asian toddler spied Hope and started towards her while Hope waved at her. Suddenly, the woman ran over, yanked her daughter's arm and spanked her butt several times as hard as she could. The woman dragged her wailing daughter back to her blanket, ignoring all the dirty looks around her, including Rain, Rose and Alan's.

"Mummy?"

Rain looked at Hope and was shocked when she saw how distraught she looked now.

"Should we go get Daddy so he can do something?" Hope said, pointing at the crying toddler who was now sitting on the blanket beside her mother. "She's hurting her."

Rose groaned softly while Rain felt a twinge. She got up and sat down beside Hope on the Doctor's blanket.

"Baby, you know how sometimes everyone teases you about spanking you if you do something bad. Well, some people do spank their children's bottoms and that's what that mommy just did."

"Yeah, but she was just taking a walk and her mummy made her cry," Hope said.

"Well," Rain said, "she shouldn't wander off like that on this crowded beach and I'm sure the mom was scared she might get lost or taken but the mom didn't need to spank her that hard."

"Or spank her at all," Alan said angrily. "I never understood the practice. Especially when the parent is larger than the child. Nothing but bullying if you ask me. I've never had to do that with our children and neither has Brother or anyone else we know."

_Which is why she's freaked out right now,_ Rain thought to him. _I think the Doctor would rather swallow hot coals than do what that woman just did and so would I. _

She noticed Hope took a step towards her father who was swimming in the water. Then remembering what happened to the other girl, she stopped and held her hand out.

"I wanna go to Daddy and I don't wanna be spanked, okay?" she said.

Alan fought to control his anger as he got up. He kissed his niece's head and took his shirt off before he took her hand. Rain walked back over to Rose while he led her down towards the beach.

The Doctor was swimming near the shore when he noticed his daughter trying to get his attention. He smiled and swam for shore, standing up when he got close. He moved his wet hair away from his eyes and walked towards her.

"Ready for a swim, my treas…"

He paused when he saw how upset she was and how angry Alan was.

"What's wrong?" he asked Alan.

Alan sighed and explained the situation, making sure to add that Hope had been afraid to walk over to him without being escorted. The Doctor sighed sadly and took Hope's hand before they turned right and took a little walk.

"Look, Hope, I know I've teased you about spanking you in the past but I'd never really do that. I don't believe in it," the Doctor said as they walked. In my opinion, spanking someone smaller than you is abusive, solves nothing and it makes the child afraid of you and more prone to rebel when the spanking no longer has any effect. Now granted, she was a bit young to wander off and you did that as well but I took your hand and led you back without spanking you as hard as I could. Having said that, you are five now and I trust you to walk from the blanket to me without wandering off. Not to mention your mum, aunt and uncle can see you and so can I so don't worry about walking that short a distance without supervision, yeah?"

Hope nodded and the Doctor squeezed her hand. Alan gave her a kiss and they both held her hand while they walked along the water.


	183. Chapter 183

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Three

Jamie was lying on the couch while four year old Frazer was snuggled next to him and his little head rested on his daddy's chest. Three months had passed since Jamie, Jenna, Jack, the Doctor, Adam and Alan had gone into the past to the year seventeen forty-six to find the cause of a time bubble and found six orphans, who parents had been killed several weeks before. It took some doing, but Jamie had convinced the Doctor and Duer to let him and Jenna adopt Frazer, his brothers, Angus, Ian, Robbie and Conner, and his sister, Victoria, and it was even more surprising how quickly the Doctor arranged for Jamie and Jenna to get married so they could adopted them. Jamie gently stroked Frazer's hair as he looked up at the ceiling and his mind drifted off to the family he had long ago. He wasn't sure if he could be a father then because of his missing memories and was terrified the first time he held a baby.

"_That was because you never held a bairn before," _Jamie thought after setting up a privacy block and sighed, making Frazer look up at him. Out of all his siblings, Frazer was the one that was the most sensitive to other people's feelings and he pouted, his lower lip slightly sticking out like Jamie's did when he pouted.

"Are you alright, Daddy?" he asked and Jamie smiled down at him.

"Aye, I'm fine," he said and stroked the back of Frazer's head.

"Tell me a story," Frazer said as he placed his head back on Jamie's chest and Jamie's hearts thumped softly in his ear.

"A story?" he asked and Frazer nodded. Jamie half closed his eyes for a few seconds when he smiled and wrapped his arms around his son. "Did I ever tell you the story aboot the time Granddad, Zoe an' I met these really nasty monkeys?"

"No," Frazer said and Jamie kissed the top of his head, half closing his eyes.

The TARDIS materialized near a large tree when the doors opened and Duer in his second life, Jamie and Zoe walked outside and Duer closed the doors, locking them. Placing the key in his pocket, Duer looked at the tree then walked closer as he placed his hand on the bark and looked up at the leaves.

"I say, take a look at this," he said as they walked closer and looked up at what he was looking at. High above in the branches was a large nest and a soft cooing sound came from the leaves.

"What do you think is up there, Doctor?" Zoe asked.

"I don't know," Duer said when Jamie jumped up and grabbed a strong branch then placed his feet against the bark of the tree, his kilt dangling underneath him. "Jamie, what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going tae take a closer look," Jamie said with a grin and started climbing the tree.

"Oh, do be careful! You don't know what's up there!" Zoe said as Jamie nodded and the cooing sound grew louder the higher he climbed. Jamie parted the branches when he saw the large nest and smiled. He had seen many a bird's nest in the highlands as a child and knew he was down wind, making it safe to look into the nest without scaring whatever it was that was in the nest. He carefully leaned forward when he looked into the nest and saw several furry creatures huddle together among the twigs and leaves. The creatures were covered in black and brown fur and had long arms, legs and tails. The faces were monkey-like with small ears and pushed up noses and the creatures were making the cooing sound in their sleep. Smiling, Jamie carefully climbed down when he hopped down the last few feet and landed in front of Duer and Zoe.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, dear boy, what's up there?" Duer asked and Jamie brushed his hands on his kilt.

"I think they're monkeys," Jamie said.

"Are you sure?" Duer said, giving Jamie a slightly confused look when Zoe tapped his arm and pointed at the tree. One of the furry creatures was sitting on a branch as it tilted its head side to side and Duer walked toward the tree for a closer look. "I say, it does look like a monkey, but no any monkey that I've seen before."

"Do you think it's friendly?"

"Ah, well, to be on the safe side, let's leave it be," Duer said and they nodded. Before Jamie could move, the furry creature jumped onto his shoulder and Jamie stood stone still. The furry creature gently pulled Jamie's ear forward then used its tiny fingers to pick at his hair and Zoe cupped her mouth, trying not to laugh. "Jamie, whatever you do, don't move."

"Wouldnae think of it," Jamie said while the fury creature picked at Jamie's hair then let go of his ear and climbed onto his head. The soft furry tail ticked as the furry creature picked at Jamie's hair then lowered its head until it was looking at Jamie and titled its head side to side. Smiling, Jamie crossed his eyes as the furry creature made a little squeak and scooted back up onto his head. Jamie didn't mind the tiny nails poking into his scalp as the furry creature landed on his shoulder again and pulled on his vest. Zoe was shaking from not laughing while Duer watched the furry creature moving toward Jamie's shirt and the furry creature pulled on the drawstring, opening the shirt

"What is it doing?" Zoe asked.

"I think it's trying to figure out what Jamie is," Duer said.

"Like we were trying to do," she said and Duer nodded. The furry creature slid its head into the shirt as Jamie snorted a laugh and the furry creature looked up at him and Jamie smiled. The furry creature turned its head side to side then stuck its head back into the shirt and gently sniffed Jamie's skin. The furry creature then slipped under the shirt as Jamie felt the tiny nails on his skin and placed his arms over his stomach in hopes in preventing the furry creature from going any lower.

"_That's all I need," _he thought and felt the furry creature moving around under his shirt. The fur tickled as Jamie tried not to laugh and the furry creature popped its head out of the shirt and looked at him. Jamie could feel the tiny legs kicking at his hands as it growled but Jamie only shook his head and sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I cannae let you go any lower," he said as the furry creature titled its head side to side and climbed back onto his shoulder. It stood on its hind legs when it made a loud cooing sound and Duer saw some more of the furry creatures coming down the tree. The cooing sound grew louder as the furry creature jumped onto the tree and screeched at the others, waving its fist at them.

"Oh dear, I don't like the look of that," Duer said and they nodded. Slowly they inched back toward the TARDIS when Duer took the key out of his pocket and unlocked the doors. The screeching grew louder when Zoe saw the furry creature running down the tree and headed toward them.

"Doctor!" she said as the doors opened and they ran inside. The furry creatures slammed against the wooden doors as the screeching filled the air and Jamie looked at Duer, who was walking to the console and looked at some of the buttons.

"What are you doing?" Jamie asked while he and Zoe walked to the console.

"I hate to do this, but we do have to get out of here," Duer said while pushing the button and a loud screeching sound came from behind the doors.

"Tell me that you didn't shock them," Zoe said and Duer gave her a slightly stunned look.

"No, I just put up the force field. I am shocked that you would think otherwise!" he said and she looked down at the floor.

"I'm sorry, Doctor," she said softly and he patted her hand.

"Oh, don't fret about it," he said when he looked at the screen and his eyes went wide. "Oh my giddy aunt, what is that?"

"What?" Jamie asked when he looked over Duer's shoulder and his eyes went wide. On the screen were the furry creatures but they were running into a large, shimmering mass and the large, shimmering mass looked like a larger form of the furry creatures.

"What are they doing?" Zoe asked.

"I do believe they are morphing into a much stronger creature," Duer said then started pushing buttons, flicking switches and pulled on the main lever. The TARDIS dematerialized as the large, shimmering creature screeched and pounded the ground. Duer looked at the screen when he smiled and leaned against the console. "Well, what have we learned from all this?"

"That the next time we find a nest, we leave it alone," Zoe said.

"Exactly," he said then looked at Jamie and Jamie was scratching the side of his head. "Oh dear, don't tell me that you have fleas?"

"I'm nae sure. All I ken is that I'm very itchy," Jamie said as Duer sighed and shook his head.

"Come with me," he said as they left the control room and the doors closed behind them.

"Did you have fleas, Daddy?" Frazer asked and Jamie softly laughed.

"No, but I did learn that you have tae be careful when traveling with Granddad," Jamie said and Frazer smiled.

"Mummy said that you traveled with Granddad for a very long time," Frazer said and Jamie sighed, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

"Aye, I did, an' would have traveled with him forever if I was allowed tae," he said and Frazer frowned.

"Why were you nae allowed tae travel with him forever?"

"Well, the first Time Lords made Granddad send me home one day because they thought he had been naughty."

"Had he been naughty?"

"No, he was just doing what he always did, helping people, but they didnae like it an' sent me home."

"That's nae fair."

"No, it wasnae fair, but they're gone now so it doesnae matter," Jamie said and Frazer nodded. Sighing, Jamie looked at the ceiling while Frazer closed his eyes and Jamie softly rubbed Frazer's back. Jamie felt someone tugging at his mind when he moved the mind closer and Duer appeared, smiling at him.

"_Ah, there you are," _Duer thought.

"_Do you need me for something?" _Jamie thought.

"_Well, I was wondering if you would like to go exploring those caves that Adam and Alan found the other day."_

"_You mean those caves they said were haunted?"_

"_Yep, the Doctor and I want to go give them a look and I thought you'd like to come along."_

"_Well, Frazer just feel asleep on me an'…."_

"_Uh, do not say another word! Private time with the little ones is fleeting and I would be a terrible father-in-law if I denied you one moment with your son!" _Duer thought then his mind moved away and Jamie reached for the duvet on the back of the couch, gently wrapping it around him and Frazer. Frazer softly sighed as Jamie tucked the duvet around them and kissed the top of Frazer's head, sending love into his mind. Smiling, Jamie closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around his son and gently drifted off to sleep.


	184. Chapter 184

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Three

The Doctor sat in his library quietly reading an old Gallifreyan book. Since the destruction of his planet, he had gone back through the old books he had that had come from his planet and read through them, partly to absorb any information that he didn't know contained within them and partly for nostalgia. He was pleased to find that there was much he didn't know about his people and after reading those passages he made sure to commit them to memory. Of course, he felt it more urgent to do that when he was the last of his kind but he still liked to have knowledge of old Gallifrey that he could use to help out New Gallifrey and the next generation of Gallifreyans there.

As he read, he saw someone enter out of the corner of his eye and smiled when he turned his head and saw Hope enter the room. Hope walked over to him and paused as she stared at the book. She sighed when she saw it was written in old Gallifreyan.

"I don't like that I can't read this stuff," she said, pointing to it.

"Well, love, in fifteen more years you'll be able to fluently and they'll teach you some of it when you attend the Academy," the Doctor replied.

"What's it say?" Hope asked.

"Well, it talks about old Gallifrey, the Gallifrey I lived on when I was your age," the Doctor said.

"Like what? What does it say?"

"Just talks about the history of our people and the things that they did," the Doctor said.

"Are you in here?" Hope said, leaning in closer.

"Probably, I haven't gotten that far," the Doctor said. "But I've read a lot of old books from Gallifrey where sometimes it talks about me."

"Like what? I wanna know what it says, Daddy."

The Doctor smiled at her and his hearts ached as he wished he could take his daughter back to old Gallifrey and show it to her, show her the beauty and the grandeur of the planet before the war happened. But while he thought about it, he suddenly had an idea and clicked his fingers.

"I think I may be able to show you a second hand version of my planet, my treasure, if you're feeling adventurous, of course."

Hope nodded eagerly and the Doctor kissed her cheek.

"Come with me then," he said, getting up. "Let's see if your mum wants to tag along with us on this adventure."

"So, what are we doing?" Rain asked when the Doctor went back into the house and got her to come along with them.

"Well, Hope was telling me that she wished she could read some of the history of our people and I was wanting to show her old Gallifrey and was upset that I couldn't and then I remembered the simulation room, I can do the same thing I did long ago and show her some of my memories so she can see me when I was her age."

"Cool," Rain said as she followed them through the TARDIS to the Simulation Room.

When they reached the room, the Doctor told his wife and daughter to go inside while he uploaded some of his memories into the simulator. Rain opened the door and guided her daughter into the metal room. Hope looked around at the large, empty metal room as Rain closed the door behind them.

"What is this, Mummy?" she said to Rain.

"Well, in a moment, you're gonna see some of Daddy's memories but they'll be 3D and you can walk around and watch," Rain said.

"Ooo, I'm gonna see Daddy as a little baby?" Hope said.

"Um, maybe. Depends on what your daddy wants to show us," Rain said.

"There we go," the Doctor said, coming inside and shutting the door, "all ready. I just have to tell the TARDIS to begin."

"Are we gonna see you as a baby?" Hope said, walking up to him.

"Nah, you're gonna see me sleeping. Ten hours of me getting a good night's sleep, what ya think about that?"

Rain laughed when Hope headed for the door and she quickly turned her around and walked her back to her father's side.

"Nah, we're going to look at Gallifrey first so you can see its beauty. Go ahead, TARDIS, start the simulation."

The room was suddenly filled on all sides by the Gallifreyan landscape. Everyone looked around, looking at the burnt orange sky, red grass and trees with silver leaves glowing in the sun. Rain glanced at her husband and squeezed his hand when she noticed he was misty eyed. Hope was completely enchanted. She took a few tentative steps and then when she saw that she was still in the simulation, walked over to a nearby tree and stared at the leaves.

"Daddy!" she said in wonder as she pointed at them. "This is pretty!"

"Yes, they are," the Doctor said wistfully as they walked over to them. "I only wish we could have reproduced them on New Gallifrey but this particular species was native only to this planet. Still, I'm glad I could finally show them to you so you could see their beauty."

"Can…can we talk to people here?" Hope asked the Doctor.

"No. We can hear and see people in this simulation but they can't hear or see us. I could change it so they could interact with us but I'm not going to. I just want you to see certain things. So are you ready to see my house when I was a little boy?"

Hope nodded eagerly and the Doctor told the TARDIS to jump to the next memory. The scene shifted and they were inside a house that was made of a white coral material similar to the coral in the console room. In front of them was a little boy about Hope's age. He was thin and pale with short brown hair and fringe that came down just above his eyebrows. The scene was frozen and the boy was wearing a black robe with a thick white strip that ran down the middle like a penguin.

"This is me when I was five years old," he told Hope. "We're in my house on Gallifrey."

"Ooo," Hope said, walking over to his memory self.

She stared at him and looked at her father.

"How come he's not movin'?" she asked him.

"Because the memory's on pause at the moment, I have to ask the TARDIS to start it," the Doctor said. "I just wanted you to get a good look at me before we start."

"I can't talk to you?" Hope said sadly as she pointed at the child beside her.

"Nope, only watch. Are you ready?" the Doctor said.

Hope nodded and the Doctor asked the TARDIS to start the memory. The young Doctor walked through an arched door on his left side and everyone followed him. He was in a bedroom with a wooden bed that had a white cotton blanket on it and a fluffy down pillow. There was a wooden chest of drawers beside it and on the other side of the room was a full length mirror mounted on the wall. Beside the mirror was another arched door that led into a walk-in closet that was filled with clothes. Hope followed the young Doctor as he walked to the mirror. Hope looked around the room.

"You don't have toys, Daddy?" she asked her father.

"No. Not toys like you have. We had educational devices for children but nothing like legos or teddy bears, that's an Earth thing," the Doctor said. "I had things like rontgen blocks when I was in the nursery but by the age of five I was considered too old for them and other playthings like that."

"Mum, I hate this robe, it's itchy," the young Doctor said as he stared at himself in the mirror.

Rain snorted.

"I can see where Alan got that complaint from," she said to the Doctor who chuckled softly.

Clara came into his bedroom and Hope brightened when she saw her grandmother. The young Doctor turned and shook his head.

"Why do I have to wear this thing? It's absolute rubbish," the young Doctor said to her. "Why can't I wear my everyday robes?"

"Because this is a special event. Your father is making a speech tonight," Clara said. "You have to go because you're his son so you need to use the dress robes."

"Papaw? Is she talkin' 'bout Papaw John?" Hope said, walking over to her father.

"No…um…my father. She's talking about my father, not your mum's father," the Doctor said to her.

"Which papaw is he?" Hope asked him.

The Doctor and Rain shared a glance.

"You don't know him, love," the Doctor said. "He and I never got along and I left him behind on Gallifrey."

Hope gave him a confused look. She started to say something but the Doctor put a finger to his lips and pointed back to his younger self. Hope turned to watch and the Doctor put a hand on her shoulder while she watched Clara straighten the young Doctor's robes and make him look presentable.

"Mum, do I have to go to this?" the young Doctor said softly. "I don't wanna hear Dad's idiotic speech."

"Shhh, Merzet, just do this and don't complain, please?" Clara said nervously.

The young Doctor sighed angrily and nodded. Clara kissed his cheek and laid her hand on his head.

"Just do what he wants and it'll be done in a few hours," Clara said to him. "Yeah?"

The young Doctor nodded again and walked out of the room with Clara following him. Hope walked over to her father.

"You look weird," she said to him.

"Now see here, Miss Opinion," the Doctor said while Rain giggled. "I'll not have your cheek while I'm taking a trip down memory lane. You keep your sarky comments to yourself, yeah?"

"No."

The Doctor feigned anger while the women giggled. He smiled and patted her head fondly.

"Well…I suppose the next memory will be the speech I was forced to sit through. Want you to see my father and hear what he thought about Earthlings. TARDIS, next memory please."

The scene shifted to a large assembly hall. They were at the back beside the young Doctor who was sitting on a long wooden bench on the end. To his right were other children and a few mothers dressed in white, pink or light blue robes who had babies or small children with them. The children were dressed in the black and white robes. In front of the bench were more benches that held adult Time Lord and Ladies, all dressed in Time Lord robes and headgear. At the front of the assembly hall was a wooden stage. On the stage was a wooden podium and several wooden chairs to the right of it. There were more Time Lords sitting in the chairs, all of them middle aged or elderly looking and at the podium was a stern looking man of about middle age, he was wearing black robes with a gold skullcap and flair. On the robe centered in the front of it was a large gold embroidered Seal of Rassilon. The scene was frozen for the moment and the Doctor showed Hope and Rain a young boy sitting right next to the Doctor.

"You know Koschei, Amato's friend?" he said to Hope.

She nodded and he pointed to the boy.

"This is my Koschei, my friend," he said to her. "The difference is my Koschei grew up to be a bad person called the Master but at this moment, Koschei and I are best friends."

"This is before the Schism, right?" Rain said. "Before the so-called drums?"

"Correct. This is before Kosch went insane," the Doctor said to her. "At this time, we're just mates and actually…"

He pointed to a middle aged man sitting in the first chair.

"That's Kosch's father. He's quite wealthy and influential in the Time Lord community…or was, I mean," he said. "My father was a bit of a social climber which is how Kosch and I became friends. We met because our fathers were friends. But anyway, this is my dad's wonderful speech on the so-called lower life forms. TARDIS, if you will…"

The memory unfroze and the Doctor's father nodded to everyone.

"Thank you, fellow Time Lords and Ladies for that warm welcome," he said, looking around. "As you know, I am Parius and I have been asked by the Lord President to give a speech on Time Lords and their responsibility to the lower races…"

"Booooring," Koschei whispered to the young Doctor.

"I don't know how all of you feel about the lower races," Parius said. "I, for one, feel that a Time Lord should be like a parental figure to those who aren't as intelligent as we…"

"And by that, he means everyone who isn't a Time Lord," the Doctor muttered to Rain.

"A parent must be loving towards the child, but stern. They must expect the child to be both responsible and obedient and I see that as being the lower races role here. The Time Lords must set an example for the lower races and show them what a truly civilized species is."

The Doctor snorted at that along with his younger self.

"Blah, blah, blah, he likes to run his gob, don't he?" Kosch whispered to the young Doctor. "Your father is a big old windbag."

"Kosch, shut up," the young Doctor hissed at him. "You're gonna get us in trouble."

"However, I must make an exception here," Parius continued, "and that exception is Earth. I believe that Earthlings are best left to their own devices. They are ignorant, uncivilized and not fit to be counted among the other species of the universe. Any Time Lord who dares to observe them and is caught doing so has fighter planes sent after their TARDISes. The humans are fearful beasts who'll lash out at anything strange and foreign to them. That makes them dangerous and I recommend that all Time Lords keep away from them wherever they dwell in time and space."

"And what does the son do when he's old enough to travel?" Rain said. "Heads straight for Earth and all those troublemaking humans on it."

She and Hope giggled when the Doctor swiveled his head towards her and gave her a big cheesy grin while he nodded emphatically. While he was doing that, Hope noticed Kosch reach under his robes and bring out a small white rodent that resembled a shrew. She came up beside her young father and stared at it.

"That's a tafelshrew," the Doctor said as he and Rain walked up behind her. "And no, Kosch was not supposed to have it in the assembly hall as you can tell from my horrified expression."

"Kosch, put that back," the young Doctor hissed at him when he showed the rodent to him.

"No, this is much more interesting than your father," Kosch said softly as he stroked the fur on its back. "Found it outside just before we came in. I think I'll make it a pet and…"

He gasped when the tafelshrew bit his thumb and he jerked his hand in response. Both boys watched as the tafelshrew fell out of his hand and scurried under the bench in front of them. Both boys froze and Hope saw the worried look on her young father's face.

"Wait for it," the Doctor said.

Then they heard a scream two benches up and a Time Lady jumped up from her seat and bellowed that something had run across her shoe. Parius was shocked into silence when everyone except for the young Doctor and Koschei jumped up and began to look around, trying to find the rodent. Then the young Doctor watched as Koschei jumped up and grabbed his hand.

"Come on, let's get out of here before they find out it was us," he said to the young Doctor.

"Us? It was you that did it!"

"Yeah, yeah, come on!"

The young Doctor sighed, got up and the two of them quickly hurried out of the room.


	185. Chapter 185

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Five

The soft sound of the stick on the pavement sounded like a soft heartbeat while Hamish walked onward and pushed the sunglasses up his nose. Living most his life in the dark made him question what was real and what wasn't real and having his sight restored made things even more unreal to him at times. Sighing, he stopped near the light pole as he held the stick tightly in his hands and blinked. He didn't regret Compassion's gift, but he did wish that she had made it possible for his sight to return in steps. He had read that some people who regain their sight go from dark to light to seeing black shapes and white light to blurry shapes to colors to seeing images, but she had given him total sight in one go.

"Aye, she did, but you didnae complain when it happened," he sighed then leaned on the light pole and crossed one ankle over the other. Shrugging his shoulders, he walked down the pavement when he walked up the walk to his house and he stopped, looking at the house. He never saw the house he lived in as a child, or the one that he had bought with Lucy, but he knew every inch of each one and could find the stairs with his eyes closed. Closing his eyes, he clicked the stick on the walk as he headed for the stairs when the tip of the stick clicked against the bottom step and he smiled. Keeping his eyes closed, he walked up the stairs when he held his hand out and touched the wood of the door. He moved his fingers over the door when the door opened and he nearly fell forward. Lucy grabbed onto him when she looked at him and he sighed, blinking his eyes open.

"Hamish, are you alright?" she asked as he walked by her and she closed the door.

"Aye," he said with a nod of his head then walked to the stairs and went upstairs. Walking down the hallway, he walked into his bedroom when he placed the stick against the wall and headed for the bed. Sitting down on the foot of the bed, he placed his head in his hands as he looked at his feet and blinked. He slumped into the bed while he looked up at the ceiling when he felt like he was being watched and sat up, looking at the doorway. His daughters, Zoe and Moira, stood in the doorway and he waved for them to come closer. Zoe was four and Moira was only a baby when Jamie had brought them to New Gallifrey and Hamish was amazed how easily they adjusted to living not only in a different time but another planet and he sadly smiled at them.

"Are you alright, Daddy?" six year old Moira asked as she climbed onto the bed and placed her head against his arm. Ten year old Zoe stood in front of him as he looked at her light brown hair and hazel eyes and she blinked.

"Aye, I'm alright, mo leannans," he said then slumped onto the bed and looked at the ceiling. The girls climbed onto the bed and snuggled on either side of him. Hamish placed his hands behind his head as he sighed and Moira placed her head on his chest.

"Daddy, Zoe told me that we didnae always live in this house. Is she fibbing?" Moira asked and Hamish softly laughed.

"Nay, leannan, she's telling the truth."

"What did the house look like?"

"He doesnae ken what it looked like, Goober Head, he was blind then!" Zoe said and Hamish glared at her.

"Zoe Emily McCrimmon, that was uncalled for! You apologize right now!" he said.

"I'm sorry," she said and Moira nodded.

"It is true that I didnae ken what the house looked like, but I could always find my way around when I had tae go from one room tae the other. Tae be honest, there are times I wish that I was blind again so I wouldnae feel so…lost," he sighed and rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

"I ken how you could be blind again!" Moira said as she got off the bed then walked to the dresser and opened the top drawer. She took out one of his dress ties as she walked back to the bed and Hamish sat up, watching her get onto the bed. She moved behind him when she slid the thickest part of the tie over his eyes and he held it in place. He had closed his eyes as she tied the tie tightly over his eyes and he smiled. He was once more in the dark as he reached his hand out and Zoe took his hand. She helped him off the bed while Moira went to get his stick and placed the stick in Hamish's hand. He thumped the stick on the floor as he nodded his head and held his hand out. He walked toward the door when the end of the stick hit the door and he placed his hand on the door. He headed into the hallway while the girls followed behind him and he tapped the end of the stick on the top of the stairs. He reached for the handrail as he went down the stairs and the girls followed him.

"Eh?" Lucy asked as she saw them coming down the stairs and Hamish tapped the end of the stick on the bottom step. He stepped down as he smiled and Lucy walked closer, taking hold of his hand. "What are you doing?"

"Daddy wanted tae be blind again," Moira said as Lucy reached for the tie but Zoe shook her head and Lucy lowered her hands.

"And how long is he going tae have tae walk around with a bright blue tie wrapped around his head?" Lucy asked as she smiled and Hamish frowned, sticking his lower lip out.

"It's bright blue?" he asked.

"Aye, it's the one that Zoe gave you for Christmas," Lucy said and Hamish handed the stick to Zoe and untied the tie. He blinked his eyes open when he looked at the tie and laughed, shaking his head.

"It was the first one I saw," Moira said as he looked down at her and smiled.

"Well, it was a good idea at the time, but I just have tae live with the fact that I can see," he said and Moira slid her arms around his waist.

"Then why do you want tae be blind?" Zoe asked, folding her arms over her chest. He remembered how happy she looked when he saw her for the first time and he reached over, stroking her hair.

"I guess it's because I was blind for so long that seeing scares me. Living in the dark was all I knew."

"Can I be blind, Daddy?" Moira asked as he looked at her and blinked. He turned then ran up the stairs and the girls looked at Lucy. A few minutes later Hamish came down the stairs with four black ties and walked to Moira, kneeling down in front of her. He tied the tie over her eyes as she smiled and he stood up, patting her head. He went back up the stairs then came down with three sticks and two of them were child size. He tied a tie over Zoe's eyes then Lucy's eyes when he tied the last one over his eyes and the blackness returned to his world. He had handed the sticks to Lucy and the girls when he fumbled for the stick and picked the stick off the couch.

"Right, are we ready tae go out?" he asked and Lucy reached out her hand for him. He had set up a privacy block so she and the girls couldn't find him and felt Lucy's hand on his. He took her hand as she smiled and Hamish thumped the stick on the carpet. He jumped when he heard three more thumps and wondered if they had taken the ties off. "No cheating."

"We're nae cheating," Zoe said.

"Then I need you tae set up privacy blocks so you cannae see with your mind," he said and Lucy and the girls set up privacy blocks, waiting for him to tell them what to do next.

"Now what do we do?" Moira asked.

"Well, first we have tae pray that Mummy didnae close the door or this is going tae hurt," Hamish said with a grin and thumped the stick on the carpet. He headed for the door while hearing the soft thump of the other sticks behind him and he held his hand out, reaching for the door. He felt the wood of the door when he opened the door and reached down for the door handle. Opening the door, he led the way as the stick clicked on the porch and he headed for the steps. He waited while the girls and Lucy came closer and Lucy nearly slammed into his back. Smiling, he reached behind him as he took her hand and squeezed her fingers. Tapping the stick on the top of the step, he went down the stairs as he heard the sticks clicking behind him and he held his hand out. Lucy took hold of his hand as he heard the smaller sticks clicking at either side of him and he reached out with his hand, feeling first the top of Zoe's head then Moira's head and smiled. "Right, let's go."

The sticks clicked on the pavements as Hamish led the way and Lucy had come to walk next to him, their sticks clicking in harmony with each other. The smaller sticks clicked behind them as Hamish felt his hearts swelling and reached out his hand, taking Lucy's hand in his.

"This is fun, Daddy," Moira said when he stopped short and she smacked into him. "Daddy, is that you?"

"Aye, but this isnae a game, this is how I saw the world," he said then yelped when she smacked his bottom and he reached behind him, trying to grab her hand. Moira giggled when he grabbed her hand and turned around, carefully kneeling down in front of her. "How did you do that if you cannae see?"

"You were right in front of me," she said with a grin and he smiled, shaking his head. Reaching out, he tickled her as she yelped and tried to swat his hands away.

"Um, don't mind me, but what are you lot doing?" Alan asked while he walked closer and Hamish carefully stood up, holding the stick tightly in his hands.

"Daddy's showing us what it's like tae be blind," Zoe said as Alan arched his eyebrows up and stroked his chin.

"I always wondered what it was like to be sightless. Hold on!" he said as Hamish shrugged his shoulders and sighed. A few minutes later Alan came out of his house with a bright green tie with cartoon frogs on it and a hockey stick and he placed the hockey stick in Hamish's hands.

"Right, all I have to do is tie this around my eyes and I'll be ready!" Alan said as he tied the tie over his eyes and reached out for the hockey stick. He took the hockey stick in his hand as he smiled and tapped the hockey stick on the pavement. "Now what do we do?"

"You have tae set up a privacy block so you cannae cheat an' see with your mind," Moira said.

"Ah, good idea," Alan said when he set up a privacy block and reached out his hand. He felt Lucy's shoulder when she reached up and patted his hand. Alan tapped the stick on the ground when they started walking down the pavement and Hamish softly smiled.

By the time they had gotten to the Doctor's house, they had been join by Adam, John, Julie, Donne, Jenny, Tara, Dorothy, Elizabeth, James, Jamie, Frazer, Angel, Christopher, Zoe, Donald, David, Faith, Cameron, Jack, Ianto and some of the others and they had ties covering their eyes.

"What?" the Doctor asked when he walked out onto the porch and Hope stood next to him.

"What are they doing, Daddy?" she asked as they walked down the stairs and headed toward the others. Hamish clicked the stick against the Doctor's converse sneakers when Hamish stopped and the others nearly crashed into each other.

"Why are we stopping?" Adam asked, reaching out with his hand.

"Well, I think it's because I'm standing in the way," the Doctor said when Rain came out of the house and walked toward him.

"What's going on?" she asked and Moira reached out her hand as the small stick clicked on the pavement. Rain reached her hand out as she took Moira's hand and Moira smiled.

"We're being blind like Daddy," she said and Rain looked at Hamish.

"And why does Daddy want to be blind?" she asked when she saw that Namid was one of the ones wearing a tie over her eyes and Rain shivered. Of all of them, she was surprised that Namid would voluntarily become blind again and the Doctor felt her concern, looking at her,

"_Why is Namid doing this? She knows better than the rest of them what it was like to be blind," _Rain thought.

"_I think that's exactly why she's doing it," _he thought when Hamish reached out his hand and the Doctor took his hand.

"_Doctor, can you do me a favor?" _Hamish thought as he lowered the privacy block and the Doctor wrapped his fingers around Hamish's fingers, lightly squeezing them.

"_What is it?"_

"_Can you show me what's behind me?"_

"_But I thought you didn't want to see."_

"_Aye, there are times that I wish that Compassion didnae give me my sight, but I really want tae ken what this blind train looks like," _Hamish thought with a smile and the Doctor giggled, nodding his head. He gently placed his fingers on Hamish's temples when he showed him what was behind him and Rain caught the stick when Hamish let go of the stick and reached up, removing the tie from his eyes. Blinking his eyes clear, Hamish turned around when he looked at the others and covered his mouth with his hands. His body shook when he walked to Lucy then removed the tie and she blinked her eyes open. Hamish uncovered Zoe and Moira's eyes when they blinked their eyes as he pointed behind them and they turned around. He hushed the girls as they looked at the others and the Doctor held onto Rain. Hamish took the stick from Rain when he tapped it hard on the pavement and the others looked toward him.

"Och, I never thought I would be so happy tae see, but this…all of this…only shows me just how much all of you care aboot me. I ken that being able tae see if something that I have tae get used to, an' have been getting used tae, but all of you dinnae have tae cover your eyes to show me that it's better tae see the world then fumble around in the dark. So, go on, take the blinders off," he said as they removed the ties from their eyes and blinked.

"Blimey, is this what it felt like when you got your sight?" Alan asked as he looked around then looked at Rose and smiled. "Whoa, you are beautiful!"

"You didn't think I was beautiful before?" she asked, folding her arms under her breasts.

"Oh yeah, but you're gorgeous now!" he said then picked her up and looked at the others. "If you all will pardon me, I am going to go ravage my gorgeous wife!"

They laughed as Rose yelled for him to put her down as he ran down the pavement and the others walked away. Lucy walked to Hamish as she slid her arms around his waist and placed her head on his arm. The Doctor led Rain and Hope back into the house as Hamish looked at Lucy and his daughters and felt his hearts soaring. Scared as he was, Hamish realized how lucky he was when he took the stick from Zoe then thumped it on the pavement and the girls stood straighter, holding the small sticks in their hand. Nodding, he took Lucy's hand as the sticks clicked on the pavement and Hamish smiled, swinging Lucy's hand back and forth.


	186. Chapter 186

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Six

The scene shifted and they found themselves outside about one hundred feet from the front of the assembly hall. The scene was frozen and they saw Koschei and the young Doctor hiding behind a cluster of silver leaf trees. Both boys were peeking around the tree trunks watching the assembly hall door. At the door a few Time Lords were running outside. Rain glanced at the fleeing Time Lords before she looked at her husband.

"I see your knack for causing trouble started at an early age, dear," she said.

"Me? I didn't do this, Koschei did!" the Doctor said defensively as he pointed his finger at Koschei. "I had no idea he had that thing under his robes so don't blame me for this."

"How come you didn't tell people that he was the one who had the mouse, Daddy?" Hope said.

"Yeah, how come you ran outside with the guilty party if you're not guilty?" Rain added.

"Because that old adage, children should be seen and not heard was practically gospel on Gallifrey and I would either be ignored by my elders or not believed and gotten in trouble anyway. Not to mention my father wouldn't have believed me and I would have caught hell from him for it. I was a child but I wasn't an idiot. But anyway, let's start this particular section of the memory and you can see what happened afterwards. TARDIS, if you will…"

The memory started and they could hear the angry and startled voices of the Time Lords and Ladies as they filed out the door and began looking around for the guilty party. Koschei began to giggle while the adults started looking around the building for them.

"That's it, gits, try and find us," Koschei whispered.

"Kosch, have you gone soft in the head?" the young Doctor hissed at him. "If they find us, we'll be punished!"

"So why are you out here with me then if you're not the one who did it?"

"See, not the only one who wondered that," Rain said, poking her husband's arm.

"Because you pulled me out here and because no one in a million years would believe I didn't do it," Young Doctor hissed.

"See, there's my answer," the Doctor said, poking his wife's arm.

The two boys ducked down when a couple of Time Lords got close to the trees. Hope walked over to them.

"HEY, THEY'RE OVER HERE!" she yelled at the Time Lords.

"Oi!" the Doctor said while Rain bent over laughing. "Well, that tears it; I'm not taking you somewhere where I might land up in danger and have to hide with you."

Koschei got the young Doctor's attention and jerked his head off to the left. Keeping low, both boys moved silently into the shadows of a couple of bigger trees, went around the back where they couldn't be seen and sat down. The Doctor and his family went around the corner so they could watch them while both boys drew their legs up and kept silent. Then the Doctor involuntarily flinched when he heard his father scream his name.

"MERZET! WHERE ARE YOU!" they heard his father bellow. "SHOW YOURSELF, BOY!"

"He sounds very angry," Hope said, looking at her father.

"Oh, he was, trust me," the Doctor said.

"MERZET, SHOW YOURSELF OR YOU'LL RECEIVE AN EVEN WORSE PUNISHMENT THAN YOU'RE GOING TO GET!" they heard Parius scream.

"Lovely, guilty until proven guilty in your household then?" Rain said to him.

"Pretty much, yeah," the Doctor said grimly.

"You didn't do it, Daddy," Hope said.

"I know, love, but that didn't matter to him. He thought everything was my fault. From the moment, I first drew breath everything was my fault," the Doctor said, patting her shoulder.

"Why?" Hope said, confused.

"Because he rejected me when I was born. I wasn't good enough for him," the Doctor said while Rain put her arm around him.

"But you're the bestest daddy in the whole universe," Hope insisted.

The Doctor smiled tenderly at her and sent love into her mind. They watched while his younger self got up as his father bellowed for him to show himself.

"No! What are you doing, you git?" Koschei said, grabbing the hem of his robe.

"He's not gonna stop searching for us until we're found and if he finds me back here, I get in worse trouble. Just sit here and keep your gob shut."

"No, Merzet!" Koschei said as the young Doctor jerked his robe out of his friend's grasp and hurried out into the clearing.

"I'm here, Father!" the young Doctor said as all heads turned towards him. "I'm here, you can stop searching now!"

"And so begins a long history of sacrificing yourself for the people you love," Rain said to her husband.

The Doctor smiled sadly and nodded. He took them around the trees so they could see his younger self better. Parius made a beeline for his son and just before he reached him, the Doctor suddenly ordered the TARDIS to pause the memory. Parius froze a few feet from his son, rage on his face while his son had tired resignation on his. Both Rain and Hope looked at him and he put his hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Remember the day we were on the beach and you were upset when that woman spanked her daughter?" the Doctor said to Hope.

Hope nodded and he pointed to his younger self.

"The reason I don't do what that woman did to you is because my father did much the same to me and far worse. I paused it because he's about to get physical with me and be abusive. I wanted to show you this so you could understand why I don't believe in corporal punishment and by extension, why Alan doesn't either. It's not pretty, Hope, which is why I'm giving you the choice of not looking at it and if you don't want to see it, I'll pick a happier memory. Choice is yours."

Hope thought for a moment. She looked at the rage on Parius's face and shivered, recalling the same rage on the mother's face at the beach, except Parius's rage dwarfed the mother's. She looked at her father and saw how defeated her look and a chill ran through her but after thinking about it…

"I wanna see, Daddy. I wanna see what happens," she said to her father.

"You sure?"

Hope nodded and the Doctor and Rain took her hands.

"I want you to see this and see how not to be a good parent," the Doctor said to Hope. "If you ever have children of your own one day I want you to keep what you see here in mind so you don't do the same as my father did, yeah?"

Hope nodded and the Doctor asked the TARDIS to resume the memory. As soon as it started, Parius lunged at the young Doctor and seized him by his robe.

"You just can't do anything right, can you?" he snarled as he got down in his face. "I ask you to do something simple like sit through my speech and you can't even do that! You embarrassed me!"

Rain gritted her teeth when Parius grabbed his robe with his other hand and began to shake him roughly. She looked back at the trees and noticed that Koschei's head was just peeking out from between two of the trees while he watched.

"Some friend, dear," Rain said to her husband.

The Doctor glanced back at Koschei.

"Yeah, well, at the time I was glad it was me and not him taking the abuse but yes, Kosch always tried to save his skin first. Nothing ever changes," he said, turning his head back around.

Parius let go and shoved his son's back as he ordered him to head for home. Rain grimaced, thinking what happened the moment her husband got inside their house. She could tell from the way Parius glowered at his son's back that it was going to get uglier and she said a silent prayer of thanks that she never got to meet the abusive prick in person. She glanced back at Koschei and noticed he had ducked out of sight as they passed by the trees.

_Coward,_ she thought disdainfully as they walked past the trees. _I'm betting your sorry ass never had a better friend than the Doctor and you purposely get him in trouble and let him take the fall for this. I'm glad Amato's Koschei is nothing like your cowardly self. _

"I'm glad I don't know this papaw, Daddy, I don't like him," Hope said as they watched them walk away.

"Well, I'm glad you never met him. Not only would he have been against my marriage to your mother because she came from Earth but he would have transferred that dislike of her to you and my other children and he would have been mean to you and everyone else. I wasn't sorry to leave him behind when I was old enough to get off the planet."

"How come he doesn't like you?" Hope asked him.

The Doctor took off his jacket and tie, handed them to Rain and pulled his shirt up so he could show her his navel.

"See this?" the Doctor said to Hope as he pointed to it.

"Yeah, it's your belly button. I got one too," Hope said.

"I know you do. That's because you were born naturally and when people are born from a mummy's womb they have this because this is where the umbilical cord was. I was born in a machine called a loom that made me artificially and people born from the loom don't have navels since they're supplied with everything they need from the machine and not a mummy. When I was born, I had this even though there's no reason why I should. No one had ever seen a baby with a navel on Gallifrey before so I was considered a freak of nature and my father was embarrassed that he loomed a baby that was imperfect. He wanted to get rid of me but your Mamaw, bless her hearts, overruled him because she wanted me. He allowed her to keep me but he hated me for the rest of my life."

"Do you think that's why you gravitated towards Earthlings?" Rain said. "Because you had the navel and had something in common with them?"

"Perhaps, but I just admired Earthlings. Maybe it's because my father hated them and that led me to rebel against him in a way by making friends with the species he loathed but I also admire Earthling's ingenuity and imagination and their capacity for goodness, all the things my father overlooked. But the shared navel might have figured into it."

"Can we find out why you have a belly button?" Hope asked.

"Um…I suppose we could investigate but I don't know how since Gallifrey is gone and no one really made an in-depth study of my navel since my father forbid it."

"Maybe it's a sign you were meant to be humanity's protector," Rain said.

The Doctor considered that and nodded.

"Perhaps. Perhaps it's because I'm just an odd, crazy maniac with a belly button," he said. "But we'll save the mystery of my navel for another time. For now, we can go to my house and see what happens next or if you want to see something else, Hope, we can see a happier memory."

"No, I wanna see what happened next. I want to be with you, Daddy, when Papaw hurts you."

The Doctor smiled fondly at that and asked the TARDIS to bring up the next memory.


	187. Chapter 187

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Seven

When the scene shifted, they were back inside the Doctor's house. They saw Clara sitting on a leather sofa in the living room, her hands outstretched in entreaty. In front of them, the young Doctor was standing there while his father stood over him, his mouth open in a silent, enraged yell. Hope walked up beside her young father and stared up angrily at the enraged man.

"Can you fix it so I can hit him, Daddy?" Hope said, pointing to Parius.

"Uh, no, because I don't want him hitting you back," the Doctor said. "Love, you don't have to watch this, you can watch something less disturbing. I just wanted to show you why I would never spank you so you won't worry about me doing something like that."

"Is he going to hit you, Daddy?" Hope said, walking back to him.

The Doctor nodded. Hope considered that for a moment. She stared at the enraged Time Lord silently bellowing at her father and shivered again. The Doctor and Rain put their hands on her shoulders while she thought. Then she looked at him.

"Did you ever get back at him, Daddy?" she asked.

"In a way. I got back at him when I managed to leave him behind. I wanted to take Mamaw with me but at the time she wouldn't go out of fear of him following and hurting us. So I'm glad she's with us now."

"Is he gonna come after us?" Hope said, pointing to Parius.

"No, he's dead. He was on Gallifrey when it burnt."

"Are you sure?"

The Doctor looked at Rain when she said that. She shrugged.

"You thought Dex was dead and he turned up. You thought Clara was dead and she showed up at your doorstep. Are you sure he's really dead?"

"I…I'm not for certain but if he does show up I'll show him the door and make sure he leaves the planet. I'm not having that man around you or the children or my family. So, both of you don't worry about it. If he shows up, big, strong Daddy will kick his arse back to Jupiter. But…back to the question, do you want to go on with this memory?"

"No, I don't wanna see him hit you," Hope said.

The Doctor nodded and tousled her hair.

"Okay, I'll show you a happy memory then. TARDIS…"

The scene shifted to the upstairs hallway. They saw Alan running out of the bathroom, digital camera in hand. Rain's eyebrow cocked.

"This better not be what I think it is," she said while the Doctor tried to look innocent.

The Doctor asked for the memory to start.

"GOT IT, BROTHER!" Alan yelled as he ran towards the Doctor's point of view. "You owe me 20 quid!"

"DAMN IT, ALAN, YOU BETTER NOT HAVE TAKEN A PICTURE OF ME SITTING ON THE TOILET!" they heard Rain say from inside the bathroom.

Rain eyed her husband as the memory froze and Hope laughed hysterically.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," the Doctor said, patting his wife's shoulder. "It was an interesting photo actually. You looked beautiful sitting there on the bog with the surprised look on your face."

"It better not have gone up on Facebook or Myspace or something like that," Rain said.

"Nah, we don't have such things. But I did manage to run it off on the printer and I take it out whenever I need a smile. But anyway, on a serious note, is there anything you lot want to see out of my memories?"

"We can see anything?" Rain said.

"Well, within reason," the Doctor said. "Any suggestions?'

"Yes."

The Doctor looked at Hope.

"Uncle Alan makes jokes about you kicking him and Aunt Rose out of the TARDIS. What does he mean?"

"And she would have to pick that memory," he said to Rain while she chuckled.

"You said anything within reason so this is your fault," Rain said with a shrug.

"Wait a tic then," the Doctor said as he asked the TARDIS to turn off the simulation and headed for the door when she did.

"I'm glad Daddy got away from that bad person," Hope said when the Doctor closed the door.

"Yup, me too," Rain said. "He doesn't need to be abused. He gets enough abuse from the monsters and bad guys he fights without his family abusing him."

"When I marry him, I'm gonna hit anyone who tries to hit him," Hope said.

Rain chuckled.

"Your hearts are still set on marrying him, aren't they?" she said, giving her a hug.

"Yes. I wanna marry Daddy. He's ace," Hope said.

Rain kissed her cheek. The two of them waited for the Doctor to come back in but after five minutes, Rain looked towards the door.

"What'd he do? Go to China?" she said to Hope.

"Maybe he's playing hide and seek with us," Hope said.

"If he is, he'll have a long wait while he hides," Rain said.

The door opened and Alan stuck his head inside.

"Damn, they didn't run out of air yet," he said. "Well, give it another twenty minutes then…"

"Uncle Alan!" Hope yelled.

"Not Dead Niece!" Alan yelled back as he opened the door wide.

Rose came in behind him and then the Doctor.

"Sorry, loves. I was out there uploading the memory and he rings me," the Doctor said, pointing to Alan. "He wants to go shopping with Rose and Jack and wanted to know if we wanted to come and when I told them what I was doing, they came over."

"Where's Jack then?" Rain said.

"He's not finished yet. He'll be over here though when he's ready, Alan told him we were coming over here," Rose said as she closed the door.

"So…all the participants of that day are now together in one room to relieve an uncomfortable moment, apparently because some weird child wants to see it," Alan said, glancing at his niece. "Though why you want to see that day is beyond me."

"You keep talking about it and I wanna know what happened," Hope said. "Daddy said I could see anything I wanted and I want to see that."

"Hmm, regret saying that yet?" Alan said to the Doctor.

"Nah, that was ages ago. It ended happily so I can watch the memory with no trouble," the Doctor said.

"What about me? What if I'm still traumatized from it all?" Alan said.

"There's the door," Rose said, pointing to it.

"Gee, thanks, Supportive Spouse, I'll be sure to return the sarcasm once I pull the knife out of my hearts."

"I am going to show her the reason why I made you leave, is that alright?" the Doctor said to Alan.

"Oh…if you must," Alan said, letting out a melodramatic sigh.

"Now, first I'm going to show you what happened that made me angry and made me kick Alan out of the TARDIS so you'll understand," the Doctor said to her.

He called up the memory of the Crucible and Hope walked around as the scene played out. Hope walked over to Davros and studied him intently.

"He's ugly, Daddy," she said, pointing to him.

"Yes, he is. Ugly and mean and he's another one I'm glad isn't around any more," the Doctor said.

When the Doctor ran out after he heard the explosions, Hope turned around slowly, her head back as she watched the Daleks exploding.

"Ooo," she said, pointing up.

"See, at least someone was impressed," Alan said to his brother.

"Boom!" Hope said as they exploded. "Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom."

"See, she's very impressed," Alan said, nudging his brother.

After the scene played out, the Doctor explained why he was angry with Alan before they went to the beach. The adults stood off to the side while Hope walked in and among the memory versions, watching and listening. Rather than being upset, his daughter seemed interested in everything that was going on. When Rose called the Doctor and Alan to her sides, Hope went and stood by her and listened. She watched with interest when Alan and Rose kissed but then she noticed the heartbroken look on her father's face and she walked with him back to the TARDIS. The memory Doctor went inside, shut the door and the memory stopped.

"Does that answer your question then?" the Doctor said as the memory faded and they returned to the metal room.

"Adults are strange sometimes," Hope said.

"And that one is stranger than most," Rain said, pointing to Alan.

Alan stuck out her tongue at him and walked over to Hope.

"Why are you saying that, oh viewer of painful memories?" Alan said, tousling her hair.

"I just think Daddy's silly for leaving you there. You helped him blow up the monsters," Hope said to him.

"Yes, but love, that wasn't the right thing to do," the Doctor said. "He killed all the Daleks in existence and you shouldn't do something like that. They're living creatures and there are other solutions to dealing with them besides blowing them out of the sky."

"But you're not angry at Uncle Alan and Aunt Rose anymore," Hope said.

"Well…I was never angry with Rose to begin with and Alan, I realized I was harsh and was unfair to both of them and when I met him and Rose again, I decided to forgive him and ask for forgiveness and we became brothers. Now, do you want to see something else or do you want to go shopping?"

"Shopping!" Hope said happily.

"Okay, let's get outta here so I can go up to the console room and choose a destination," the Doctor said.

He started to walk away when Hope tugged at his hand.

"What would have happened to Uncle Alan and Aunt Rose if it were your daddy instead of you."

Alan snorted when the Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Um…Rose would probably have been hurled into a black hole for being a human and Alan would have been delivered to the nearest laboratory for experimentation. That's my theory," the Doctor said. "And I probably would have been beaten for having them and other humans in the TARDIS without permission."

"And you'd be beaten just because you're you," Alan added.

"Yes, that as well," the Doctor said, making a face. "Anyway, shall we go get Jack and do something fun?"

Hope nodded and he squeezed her hand. Alan swooped her up, planted wet kisses on her right cheek and Hope took his hand as all of them walked out of the room.


	188. Chapter 188

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Eight

Lounging by the pool, Duer listened to the sounds of his children and grandchildren playing in the pool as he smiled and sipped on the glass of ice water he had brought out with him.

"_You are one lucky Time Lord," _he thought as he placed the glass on the small table next to the lounge and moved the small beach umbrella around to shade Faith's chibi, Elby. Faith had dressed Elby in blue bathing trunks and the sunlight shimmered on the light coating of sunscreen she had placed on Elby. Elby lifted up the tiny sunglasses as it looked up at him and Duer smiled, adjusting the small beach umbrella some more.

"Don't want to get a sunburn, do you?" he asked and Elby shook its head, placed the sunglasses down and went back to its nap. Even though Elby was just a doll, Duer worried about it as much as he did the rest of his family and he picked up the book he had on his stomach. It was the latest of the books Adam had been writing and he admitted that Adam changed a few details in telling the story of when Duer, the Brigadier, Harry and Sarah Jane had to fight the Zygons at Loch Ness. Turning the page, Duer gently thumped his feet together when he felt like he was being watched and looked over at Faith, who was standing next to the lounge. She was wearing a blue bathing suit with Disney's the Little Mermaid on the front and she had a matching towel wrapped around her shoulders. Her hair was plastered against her head as she smiled at him and he scooted over so she could sit on the lounge with him. "Why aren't you in the pool with the others?"

"They're splashing too much," she said as he placed his arm around her and she snuggled closer, placing her damp head on his shoulder. "What are you reading?"

"Oh, it's just Uncle Adam's latest book."

"What is it about?"

"It's about the time I had to fight the Zygons."

"What is a Zygon?" she asked as he thought for a few seconds then projected what a Zygon looked like into her mind. "Ew, they're ugly!"

"Yep, but the monster they released into the loch was really silly looking," he said and showed her what it looked like. Faith giggled as he smiled and gently stroked her wet hair.

'That doesn't look like Loch," she said, talking about the water horse that Frazer had brought back from Loch Ness and Duer nodded. "Daddy, can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but you can ask me something else," he said and she giggled.

"Why don't I have a papaw like Hope does?" she asked and he felt his hearts jump a bit in his chest. He and Frankie had decided they would wait until Faith was older to discuss why neither of their fathers were around and he sighed, placing the bookmark in the book and placed the book on the small table next to the glass of ice water.

"Well, that is a little complicated. See, my daddy is…well, he is an angel," he said and Faith pouted, tilting her head to one side. They had explained about angels and that people and being become angels when they die. She had asked if that included pets after they explained what happened to Blizzard and Rory, the Siberian huskies that used to live with them, and he told her that it did include pets.

"You mean he's in Heaven?"

"Yep," Duer said as he popped the "p" and did a silent prayer in hope that it was true that his father, his real father, was in Heaven and was waiting for him when it was his time to die.

"Was he a good daddy?" she asked as he sighed and brushed some hair out of her eyes.

"I don't know. You do know how I was born, right?"

"Yeah, Grandma said that you grew in her tummy like I did in Mommy's tummy," she said and Duer smiled, remembering his mother, Delmari, telling Faith the story of his birth. Being born naturally was something that simply wasn't done on his Gallifrey For as long as he could remember he was told that his birth was a science experiment and that he was nothing more than a failure. Having a navel didn't help matters and he was tormented by his classmates for having one.

"Yep, I was born just like you and your brother were."

"Grandma said that you used to kick her while you were in her tummy. That was mean," Faith said with a pout and Duer smiled, kissing the top of her head.

"Oi, you were playing football with Mummy's kidneys, Kiddo," he teased and ticked her, making her giggle.

"Grandma also said that you had two daddies."

"Well, now that is where it gets confusing. See, Grandma was married to a Time Lord that was very mean and controlling and he was the one that I thought was my daddy. It turned out that Grandma had divorced him, but he still thought of her as his wife, and Grandma married someone else. His name was Pandor and he loved Grandma very, very, very, very, very much."

"Then why did she have a baby with the other Time Lord?"

"Well, it was really his idea to have a baby, but she didn't want him to be the daddy. Well, honestly, he couldn't make a baby if he wanted to," Duer said with a smile and she titled her head to one side. "Anyway, Pandor and Grandma made a baby and here I am!"

"Did the other Time Lord know that Pandor was really your daddy?"

"Yep, and that was one of the reasons the other Time Lord didn't like me. He thought I was a freak and he left me behind when he used a machine called a shifter to move my Gallifrey to a different universe."

"That wasn't very nice," she said as he nodded and she snuggled closer, placing her head on his chest.

"He could have taken me with him, but he didn't want to."

"Was your mommy and daddy mad when they found out that he didn't take you with them?"

"Oh yeah, in fact Grandma formed her own army and I helped her stop him."

"And that's when your daddy died?"

"Yep, he died saving your brother and I when a bomb went off. The odd thing was I never even knew he was my daddy."

"Didn't Grandma tell you?"

"Uh, no, I sort of figured it out on my own," he said and his ears turned a bit pink. Walking in on his mother and the man he thought was her second in command having sex was something he didn't want to tell her and that he figured out that Pandor was his father after his mother explained his birth to him.

"_Mother, what is going on?"_

"_When I was married to Rassilon, I was miserable. He was only interested in the advancement of science and I was interested in traveling. We would argue about everything and I wanted to desperately to get out of our marriage. He thought another child would changed my mind, but I refused to loom another him. When he suggested having a child naturally, I was thrilled. The problem was we couldn't conceive one when we became human. He wanted to end the experiment when I got an idea, Pandor and I had been sleeping with each other without his knowledge so…"_

"_Ah, I get it. He donated some sperm and here I am."_

"_What a bright boy!"_

"_Eh, women on Earth do that, too."_

"_They do?"_

"_Yeah, sometimes it's because they want a baby and not a husband or a million other reasons. Did Rassilon know?"_

"_I think he did because of the way he treated you."_

"_And if he isn't my father then…."_

"_Hello, Son."_

"Do you think Pandor would have liked me?" Faith asked as he lifted her chin and smiled sweetly at her.

"He would have loved you," he said and tapped the tip of his finger on the tip of her nose.

"He got all blown up then?"

"Uh, no, but he was badly hurt. He couldn't regenerate because he was on his last life so…"

"_Are…you alright?"_

"_Hush now."_

"_No, I…know what is…happening."_

"_But you're not going to give up now, are you?"_

"_It's…time."_

"_But you can't leave now. You need to teach me things. I mean what sort of father would save his son and not hang around to see him grow up?"_

"_You are…grown up."_

"_But I still need my father's approval."_

"_I am…very proud…of you."_

"_What about my son? He does have Time Lords that act like his grandfather, but you're the real deal."_

"_Tell him…about me."_

Duer sighed as he felt the tears in his eyes when he wiped the tears away and Faith looked up at him.

"Don't cry, Daddy."

"Sorry, I was just thinking about when Pandor died."

"Did he like being your daddy?"

"Oh yes!"

"Then why didn't Grandma leave the other Time Lord and go live with Pandor?"

"Well, the other Time Lord never admitted that they had gotten divorced and I had to live with him because he wouldn't let Grandma leave."

"But that isn't fair! Pandor was your daddy!" she said and he hushed her, sending love into her mind.

"I know, Butterfly, but that's how it was. In fact, if I had lived with Pandor and Grandma, I don't think I would have gone off and become the Doctor."

"Because you would have been happy and wouldn't have run away?"

"Right," he said and tapped the tip of his finger on the tip of her nose.

"What about Mommy's daddy? Is he an angel, too?" she asked and Duer thought for a few moments. He knew that Doctor Douglas was an abusive man, had belittled Frankie and beaten Cameron for being bisexual, but he was dead now and Duer sighed, looking up at the sky.

"I'm not sure if he is an angel, but he is dead. See, Mommy's daddy wasn't a very nice man and he used to treat Mommy and Uncle Cameron terribly. He would call Mommy mean names and told her that she wouldn't amount to anything. He also beat Uncle Cameron because he…"

"Uncle Cameron can make me fly by wiggling his fingers," she said and he nodded.

"Yep, but that's not why he beat him."

"Is it because he kisses boys?" she asked and Duer's eyes went wide.

"When did you see Uncle Cameron kissing boys?"

"He was coming out of Torchwood and he kissed Uncle Jack," she said and Duer rolled his eyes.

"Yes, it was because Uncle Cameron kisses boys."

"No fair," she grumbled and he nodded. "Daddy, I wish Papaw Pandor was here so he could go swimming with me."

"So do I, Butterfly," he said as he kissed the top of her head and gently stroked her hair, sending love into her mind. "So do I."


	189. Chapter 189

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Nine

They met Jack in the Doctor's house when they went back inside.

"So, you guys were taking a trip down memory lane again?" Jack said to them when they came back inside the living room.

"Yeah, wanted to show Hope a couple of things," the Doctor said as he walked over to him. "Needing more supplies?"

"That and I needed to get out of the house. Slow day today and I'm bored," Jack said. "I went for a walk and bumped into Alan and he mentioned he was going shopping later so I asked if I could come along."

"He twisted my arm, he's crafty, watch out for this one," Alan said, peeking over Jack's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, get away from me, you nut," Jack said, trying to give him a playful punch.

Alan squealed and ran behind Rose.

"Protect me, you'd throw yourself on a grenade for me!" he said to Rose as he ducked down behind her.

Rose, who'd been talking to Rain, was rendered speechless. She shook her head while Rain laughed. Rose looked down at Hope when she came up to her.

"Now see, you just saw the Doctor leaving this with me and leaving me behind. I think he did it cause he knew this man would drive him insane if he stayed in the TARDIS with him," Rose said as she tousled Hope's hair.

"Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" Hope asked her.

"Sure. Where d'ya wanna talk?"

Hope took her hand and Rain watched as she led her to the patio door. She opened it, they went outside and she shut it. Hope led her to the back to a table and chairs at the back of the swimming pool. Anne and Elizabeth, who had been resting by the pool, came over to them. Rose and Hope petted them for a moment before they sat down at the table. Anne and Elizabeth lay down beside them and rested while they talked.

"What'd ya wanna talk about, love?" Rose said to her.

"I'm sad, Aunt Rose," Hope said after a moment's hesitation.

"Why? What's wrong?" Rose said, reaching across to take her hand.

"Daddy showed me this memory of his daddy and his daddy was mean to him and hurt him. I don't know Daddy's daddy but I'm glad I don't know cause I hate him for hurting Daddy."

Rose's hearts ached. He'd heard stories about the Doctor's abuse growing up and she also hated that he had been beaten and neglected by his own father. Rose squeezed her hand.

"I know, baby," she said gently. "I know. I hate that he had an abusive father too but he might not have become the person he is without that man in his life. Your daddy rebelled against him and traveled when all the other Time Lords chose to stay put and he made friends on Earth and without that, he'd never have met me or your mum and you wouldn't be here now. Besides, surviving all that made him a stronger person and prepared him for all the bad people he faced later on."

"Do you love Daddy?" Hope asked.

"I love him very much," Rose said.

Hope giggled.

"Even though you ended up with the crazy person?" she said.

Rose laughed.

"Yes. Even though your daddy shoved the crazy person into my face and said, here, take care of him for me and then he ran for his TARDIS and I've been going slowly insane since."

Hope giggled and pointed over Rose's shoulder towards the patio door. Rose turned in her seat and saw Alan standing at the door, feigning anger while he pretended to have trouble opening the unlocked door and pound on it while he let out a silent scream. Rose looked at Hope who was giggling hysterically.

"Yes, your daddy shoved that thing over there in my face and ran for the TARDIS so that thing wouldn't be following him around the TARDIS acting like a barmy git. And then I fell sorry for the thing and married him thinking he'd calm down but no…he's gotten worse with each passing year."

She glanced over her shoulder when Hope laughed harder and noticed Alan was pacing back and forth in front of the door, stopping every couple of seconds to check his watch. Rose looked at her niece.

"I get the feeling he's impatient and wants us to come inside," Rose said to her.

"Yeah, he's silly but I love em," Hope said. "Wait here," she added, getting up.

The dogs perked up and followed her as she walked to the door. Alan stopped pacing, folded his arms over his chest and tapped his foot impatiently. Rose watched as Hope stopped at the door and stared at him through the glass. She laughed when Alan pointed to the door handle and mimed opening the door. She opened the door a couple of inches.

"Thank Heavens, I was about to break through the glass and come outsi…"

Hope shut the door back and laughed when Alan silently yelled at her and pointed repeatedly at the door handle. Then Jack stepped up beside him, put his hands on Alan's shoulder and began to give him a shoulder massage. Alan froze for a moment in surprise and then a dreamy look appeared over his face. Hope laughed when he began to pant like a dog while Jack massaged him. Then the Doctor and Rain came up beside Jack. Rain laughed when the Doctor stood there and silently stared at Jack and Alan with an odd look on his face. Hope opened the door enough to stick her head in.

"Alan was mad cause I wouldn't let him come outside and now he's happy," Hope said to her father as she pointed to Alan.

"Yes, I see that, my treasure," the Doctor said. "I'm also standing here debating whether I should leave these two here and let them continue their…massage."

"Just calming the boy down after he got upset at being separated from his wife and niece," Jack said, taking his hand down. "He was out of sorts."

"Hmm?" Alan said, snapping his eyes open. "Hey, what happened to the massage. I was enjoying that and…LET ME IN THERE!"

Hope slammed the door quickly and everyone laughed when Alan silently screamed at her before Jack quickly restarted his massage. Rose squeezed Hope's shoulder when Alan closed his eyes and let his tongue hang out again.

"See, you don't need to worry about your daddy," Rose said to her. "He has all of us now so even if someone does hurt him, we'll be here to make him feel better again."

When everyone was ready and the dogs had food and water, the Doctor led everyone into his TARDIS. As he walked, he was thinking about where they could go shopping when suddenly he felt a tug on his hand and he looked down at Hope. Hope stopped and the Doctor stopped with her with a questioning look on his face.

"If anyone hurts you again, you come and get me and I'll make them sorry they ever hurt you," Hope said to him.

The Doctor fought back tears as he knelt down and embraced her.

"Sometimes I wonder what I ever did to deserve you lot," he said, letting go and cupping her face with his hands. "You're just like your brothers and sisters, all of you are just so loving. Sometimes it seems like a dream and I keep worrying if I'm gonna wake up and be alone again."

He smiled and sighed contentedly when Hope gave him another hug and whispered in his ear that she loved him. He kissed her cheek and stood up, guiding her over to the console. While the Doctor was putting the coordinates into the computer, Alan came into the console room, strolled over and scritched Hope's head while he watched his brother.

"Famza? Nice choice. I'm assuming you're going to Megablast then?" Alan said to the Doctor.

"That was my intention, yes," the Doctor replied, glancing at him.

"What's Megablast?" Hope asked Alan.

"Oooh, it's an incredibly big and fun shopping center. The largest in the Pelium Galazy," Alan replied. "Oodles and oodles of noodles and poodles and kits and caboodles. You'll love it."

"Can we get something for Mamaw, Daddy?" Hope asked the Doctor.

"Um…I don't see why not," the Doctor said.

"Good. I want her to know I love her since Papaw was mean to her," Hope said.

The Doctor and Alan shared a look and he knelt down.

"Love, Mamaw knows you love her," the Doctor said, stroking her hair. "Everything you saw happened centuries ago and it's all in the past. Trust me, I've faced people and things a thousand times worse than my dad since then. The man doesn't even enter my thoughts now. He's a part of my very distant past and it's the same for Mamaw. We're fine, love. So you don't have to go around protecting us and worrying that we're being abused. Okay?"

Hope nodded and both men gave her a hug and sent love into her mind.

"Now, if you want to get something for Mamaw because you love her heaps, we can do that," the Doctor said.

"I wanna do that," Hope said, nodding. "What does Mamaw like?"

"Oh, I think she'll like anything you get her," the Doctor said.

"Me, on the other hand, I like chocolate so get me a big sampler box," Alan said, leaning down.

"I'm not getting you anything. You have Rose," Hope said.

"And?" Alan said while the Doctor laughed. "I know I have Rose but since you're in a generous mood, I'm requesting a Smoodles Sweet Shop sampler box which I believe is about…500 credits. Gourmet chocolate, you see. But I'm a bit of a choccy gourmand so just keep that in mind when we reach Smoodles."

"Yeah," Hope muttered.

The Doctor snickered at the annoyed look on Alan's face when Hope ran behind her father and hid. He gave Hope a quick tickle and walked out of the room while Hope came out from behind her father and stood with him at the console.


	190. Chapter 190

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety

"Whatcha doing?" Adam said as he knelt down next to Faith and saw that she was drawing something on a piece of paper. There were several pieces of paper scattered over the coffee table and he picked up one of the pieces of paper, looking at what looked like a drawing of either him or Duer. "Is this supposed to be me?"

"No, that's Daddy," she said, taking the piece of paper out of his hand. "This one is you."

Adam picked up the piece of paper when he looked at the drawing and saw that she had drawn him wearing his fedora.

"Ah, and why are there clouds in my eyes?" he asked as he pointed to the drawing and she looked at the drawing then at him and smiled.

"That's because you see things."

"Hmmm…I see. So, why are you drawing all these? Not that I'm complaining."

"I'm drawing them for Papaw Pandor," she said while coloring in the hair on a picture that looked like Jamie and Adam frowned, tilting his head to one side.

"Um, why are you drawing pictures for him?"

"So he can see what we look like," she said then sat the crayon down and looked at him. "Daddy told me that Papaw is in Heaven an' I thought we could go there so I could give them to him," she said and Adam felt his hearts hurting.

"Oh, Butterfly, I don't know if Daddy can do that. Heaven's for the dead," Adam said and Faith frowned, folding her arms over her chest.

"Don't they allow visitors?" she asked when Duer walked into the room and leaned over the back of the couch.

"What's going on?" he asked when she got up and walked to the couch, climbed up onto the couch and he kissed the tip of her nose.

"Daddy, Uncle Adam says that I can't go to Heaven and give Papaw Pandor the pictures that I'm drawing for him," she said as Duer looked at Adam and Adam shrugged his shoulders.

"Um, well, as much as I hate to say this, Uncle Adam is right. I can't go where Papaw is."

"Not even with the TARDIS?"

"Nope, not even with the TARDIS," he said when the doorbell rang and they looked at the door. Adam got off the floor when he walked to the door and opened it, seeing Delmari standing on the porch.

"Hi, Mom," he said, kissing her cheek and she smiled at him.

"May I come in?" Delmari asked as he stood back and she walked inside while he closed the door behind her. Delmari walked to the couch when Faith got off the couch and Delmari looked at the piece of paper scattered over the coffee table. "My, someone has been busy."

"I drew them for Papaw Pandor," Faith said as Delmari looked at Duer and he sighed, wiggling a finger at her. Delmari walked closer as they walked to the other side of the room and Duer smiled, seeing Adam sitting on the floor with Faith and they started drawing on the paper Adam had taken from the pile.

"Muppy, what is going on? How did Faith learn of Pandor?" Delmari thought as she set up a privacy block and Duer sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"She asked me why she didn't have a grandfather and I told her," he thought and Delmari nodded, sliding her hand into his.

"And now she is drawing pictures for someone who will never see them," she thought as she looked at Faith and felt her hearts aching.

"I wish she could have met him."

"He would have loved her." Delmari thought when she remembered something and Duer titled his head to one side. "Rassilon, I just remembered something! It was just after you…uh…it was after you found me and your father in bed."

"Yeah, that was something I didn't need to see!" Duer thought then smiled and Delmari rolled her eyes.

"Well, after you went into the bathroom, he left the room then came back a few minutes later and showed me this wooden box. He told me in all seriousness that if he were to die, he wanted the box burned with him."

"I remember you placing a wooden box on top of his body then folded his arms over it when we cremated him."

"I had to keep my promise to him."

"And you never saw what was in the box?"

"No, but he did say that his Butterfly gave it to him," she said as they looked at Faith and she was giggling while Adam tickled her.

"Muppy, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Delmari thought and he nodded, walking to the couch. He knew that it was risky going back into a person's timeline, let alone his own, but if what was in the wooden box was what he thought it was, he had to go or his timeline would come unraveled. Faith looked at him when he smiled and looked at the pieces of paper on the coffee table.

"Hmmm…you know what? I think we should take these to Papaw Pandor so you can show them to him," Duer said as Adam's eyes went wide and he blinked his eyes a few times.

"Um, Brother…." Adam said when Delmari placed her hand on his shoulder and he looked up at her. Setting up a privacy block, she explained what they were going to do and Adam grinned at Duer.

Solis

Pandor held Delmari around the waist as she snuggled against him and he kissed her hair. She stroked the back of his hands as he placed his chin on top of her head and he sent love into her mind.

"I am so glad that he knows the truth," Pandor said, looking at the bathroom door.

"So am I, but what worries me is how he will deal with that truth. I lied to him for centuries and let that…that…BASTARD drive him away!" she growled and he hushed her.

"I was there, remember? I held you after they forced him to regenerate and sent him into exile. I was there when Dex died. I was there…"

"I get it," she said with a giggle and he kissed the top of her head. "Do you remember when I snuck him out of the nursery so you could hold him?"

"Yep, he was so tiny and had all that hair! I swear he looked just like I did as a baby."

"I didn't know you had pictures of you as a baby."

"Well, it wasn't done, but my father was curious about photography and had a wide variety of cameras. My mother swore I would go blind from the flashbulbs," he said and she smiled, turning around and placed her face against his chest. Holding her close, Pandor smiled when he felt like someone was watching them and saw Duer standing in the doorway. Placing his finger to his lips, Duer hushed him then pointed to Delmari and Pandor looked at her, lifting her chin up. "Um, I have to pee."

"Now?" she asked as he nodded and headed for the door. He saw Duer go into Delmari's bedroom when he followed Duer and closed the door behind him. He was shocked to see Faith sitting on the bed and a large stack of paper sat in front of her.

"Hi," Faith said as Pandor looked from her to Duer and Duer sat next to her on the bed.

"Duer, what is going on?" he asked as he walked to the bed and sat down. "How did you get out of the bathroom and who is this?"

"This is my daughter, Faith, and I came with her from the future," Duer said and Faith smiled at Pandor.

"I have a granddaughter?"

"Yep, and a grandson, but I don't think you've met him yet," Duer said and Faith moved the large stack of papers then crawled on the bed to Pandor and sat next to him.

"Are you surprised to see us, Papaw?" she asked.

"Yep," Pandor said as he popped the "p" and she looked over at Duer.

"He pops the "p" like you do, Daddy," she said and Duer softly laughed.

"Where do you think I got it from?" Duer said, arching his eyebrows up and down.

"Please, will someone tell me what's going on," Pandor said and Faith looked up at him.

"I drew you some pictures and Daddy used the manipulator to bring us here," she said and Duer showed Pandor the manipulator strapped to his right wrist.

"Rassilon," Pandor whispered when he saw the look in Duer's eyes and he sighed, lowering his head. "Sorry, I know how you feel about that name."

"Well, considering who is using it right now, you're right. I don't like it," Duer said.

"Papaw, Daddy told me that you, Daddy and Grandmother can't be a family because of the bad Time Lord. That's not fair! You're Daddy's daddy not him!" Faith said when Pandor scooped her onto his lap and held her in his arms.

"You're right, it isn't fair," he said as he looked at the pile of papers and reached over, taking the top piece of paper off the pile. He looked at the drawing of red grass, a burnt orange sky and trees with silver leaves and she smiled up at him.

"That's Gallifrey," she said and he nodded. "Daddy showed me what it looked like, but I'm not sure if I got the leaves right."

"No, they're perfect," he said and kissed the top of her head. One at a time, he looked at the drawings while she told him who or what they were and Duer slid the digital camera out of his pocket, taking several pictures of his father and daughter.

"Oh, Father, how can I let you die now? This is so unfair," Duer thought as he set up a privacy block and placed the digital camera in his pocket. "Is this how Rose felt when I took her back to save her father? I chastised her for saving him and, in the end, he died. She cried all night after we left. No, I can't change what's to come. I know firsthand what will come of it. Oh, Rassilon, why are you doing this to me?"

"Is everything alright, Son?" Pandor asked as Duer's hearts ached and he sighed, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Sorry, I got caught up in the moment," Duer said as Faith crawled to him and sat on his lap.

"Daddy, can Papaw come with us?" she asked and he saw the sadness in her eyes.

"Now, Butterfly, you know that he can't. He has to stay here and help me fight the bad Time Lord."

"Tell you what, Butterfly," Pandor said as he walked to the wardrobe and opened the door. Taking down a wooden box, he sat the wooden box on the bed and opened the lid. "I was gave this box to your grandmother as a wedding gift. Is it alright if I put the drawings in here?"

"Yep," Faith said with a nod of her head and he placed the pieces of paper inside the wooden box, closing the lid. "But you can't show them to Grandmother."

"Well, of course I wouldn't show them to her, they're mine!" Pandor said with a smile and she giggled. Faith got off the bed when she ran to him and Pandor scooped her up and held her. Duer took the digital camera out again when Pandor saw what he was doing and smiled, rolling his eyes. "You're as bad as your grandfather. He was always taking photographs."

"He was, Papaw?' Faith asked and he nodded while Duer got off the bed and walked to them.

"Sorry, but we have to go now," he said as Pandor hugged Faith and rubbed her back.

"Love you, my Butterfly," he whispered.

"Love you, too," she said then looked at Duer. "Do you love Daddy?"

"Yep," Pandor said, popping the "p" and held his arm out. Duer moved closer as they hugged and Pandor ruffled Duer's hair. Handing Faith to him, Pandor watched as Duer moved back and Faith waved at him. Waving back, Pandor watched them vanish when he looked at the wooden box and sighed. Holding the wooden box against his chest, Pandor headed for the door as he adjust his hold on the wooden box and left the room, wiping the tears from his eyes.

Delmari watched while Duer tucked Faith into bed then placed the silver picture frame on the night table and Faith smiled at the photograph of her and Pandor. Kissing the top of her head, Duer tapped the tip of his finger against the tip of her nose and she closed her eyes. Pulling the duvet up, Duer walked to the door when he looked back at her then turned the light off and Delmari closed the door. They walked down the hallway then down the stairs when he led her outside and they stood near the backdoor, looking up at the stars.

"He is watching over us, you know," Delmari finally said as he nodded and she slid her arm around his waist. Placing his head on her shoulder, he watched the stars twinkling in the night sky then looked at his mother and softly smiled.


	191. Chapter 191

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety One

"Right then, let's get this show on the road. Wagons roll and all that," the Doctor said as he started the TARDIS.

Everyone else went in the back while the Doctor stood at the console. As the rotor moved up and down, he stared at it, deep in thought. When he showed his memories to his daughter, he only meant to calm her fears about being abused and show her what a bad parent was but he hadn't expected the question about whether or not his father could possibly be alive. Knowing that his son and mother had turned up long after he thought he was dead, he couldn't help but wonder and a chill ran down his spine at the thought of his father turning up at his home. Then he scoffed at himself.

_I'm not a child any longer,_ he thought to himself_. I told Hope I've faced far worse than my father and I have, so why should I be afraid of him now? I'm older and stronger now and he has no power over me anymore. If he turns up out of the blue and starts being abusive, I'll put him to rights. _

He felt someone come up behind him and looked down at his daughter. He was surprised to see her dressed in black dress pants, black dress shoes and a brand new white blouse.

"Well, don't you look good," the Doctor said, admiring her outfit.

"Mummy said why don't we go find a photographer and get a photo of me that she can have and everyone else can have as well so I said okay, so Mummy dressed me up."

"Brilliant! Love the idea!" the Doctor said.

Alan strolled into the room, whistling cheerfully. There was a large piece of cardboard hung around his neck by a long piece of string. As he approached, Hope walked over and examined the writing on the cardboard while Alan stopped and let her see it.

"I need love," Hope read aloud before looking at her father. "Does it say that?"

"Yes, it does," the Doctor said.

Hope beamed with pride and began to tell her father how proud she was that she read it while the Doctor gave her a proud look. While she was doing that, she had her back turned to Alan and the Doctor sniggered when he gave his niece a pointed look while he pointed repeatedly at the sign. Hope turned and looked at him and Alan paused in anticipation.

"I read this correctly, Uncle Alan," Hope said, pointing to the sign.

Alan gave her an exasperated look when she turned back around. The Doctor grinned, knowing from her little giggle that she knew exactly what Alan wanted her to do. Her giggle increased when Alan inched forward and started breathing hard into the back of her head.

"Ooo, gotta go to the loo, Daddy. See ya. Bye, Uncle Alan!" Hope said as she suddenly ran off.

"See if I get you anything for birthdays, holidays, weddings or funerals ever again!" Alan yelled after her as she ran giggling through the back door.

He looked at the Doctor. The Doctor took hold of his arms and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek before he patted him on the head. In response, Alan reached into his pocket and gave him a red lollipop.

"Thank you for your kindness, much appreciated," he said, handing him the lollipop. "Now see, if your offspring hadn't been cheeky she would have gotten this."

"Eh, apple doesn't fall too far from the tree and all that," the Doctor said with a shrug as he pocketed the sweet in his trouser pocket.

Alan was about to walk away when the Doctor grabbed his arm.

"A word, Brother, before you go? " he said.

Alan gave him his full attention and the Doctor let out a ragged sigh before telling him his fears about his father resurfacing.

"It's not me I'm worried about, it's my family. I don't want him around them," the Doctor said when he finished speaking to him.

Alan chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Brother, I don't think you need to worry. Even if he is around, I doubt he'll want anything to do with us since the majority of our family is from Earth or has Earth ancestry. And even if he does, I doubt he'll do anything after he sees how large our family is, not to mention Clara might have something to say about that. Just put it out of your mind, enjoy your lolly and have a great day. In the meantime…"

Alan trailed off when Jack suddenly came in the room and made a beeline for him with arms outstretched. The Doctor laughed at the incensed look on his face when Alan recoiled from him.

"Ahem, I was told you needed love so I was coming out here to give you a hug," Jack said, pointing to his sign. "I'm not gonna bugger you if that's what you're thinking."

He rolled his eyes when Alan stepped up to him and gave him a hug.

"Geez, centuries have passed, you'd think these Jack is gonna rape me fears would have passed by now," Jack said after giving him the hug.

"Sorry, knee jerk reaction," Alan said. "It's ingrained in me, thanks to him," he added, pointing to the Doctor.

"That figures," Jack said, rolling his eyes while the Doctor and Alan sniggered. "Why I signed up to be your brother is beyond me."

"Because we're lovable, witty and we're the sort of brother one should have," Alan said to him. "Why you even had doubts about being our brother is beyond me. Furthermore…oops, here comes the butter knife…"

Rose entered the room with Hope and Rain. She was holding her hands behind her back and walked over to her husband who was whistling and pretending to look around the room as if he were hiding something. She brought her hands around and Alan noticed another cardboard sign. She grabbed the string attached to the top of it and put it around Alan's neck. Alan grabbed the sign while Rose ran away and looked at it. It said NUTTER with a crude arrow that was pointing to his head.

"Tee hee," Alan said, dropping the sign while the other adults laughed.

Hope walked up to him and studied the sign. She looked at her father.

"What does this say?" she said.

"Sound it out," the Doctor said.

Everyone giggled while Alan shot Rose a dirty look. Rose stuck her tongue between her teeth while Hope sounded out the word aloud.

"Nu…t…eeer. Nut…ter. Nutter," she said.

She gave her father a confused look.

"I don't get it," she said.

"I think Rose is implying your Uncle is insane," the Doctor said while Rose and Rain shared a gleeful look.

"Well, if I'm bonkers, why'd ya marry me then?" Alan said to Rose.

"Um…mixture of pity and boredom," Rose said.

Alan stuck his tongue out while everyone laughed. Suddenly, everyone gasped as the TARDIS went out of control. Alan caught Hope as she felt backwards to the floor and everyone except the Doctor grabbed the railing. The Doctor gritted his teeth and held on to his console while the TARDIS careened out of control.


	192. Chapter 192

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety Two

(In the Doctor's distant future)

Adam stood by the window as he looked out at the lights from the other houses and placed his hands behind his back. Having regenerated three times, he still smiled when thinking back to what he used to look like at the beginning and brushed the red hair out of his eyes. Standing six feet two inches in height, he loved to be teased by Marion that he looks like something off a Scottish romance novel and his reflection in the glass made a ghostly image of a very handsome man in his mid-twenties. His eyes were a dark blue color and his red hair had gold and auburn highlights. Red stubble covered his chin as he rubbed his fingers over the stubble and smiled.

"A vast improvement tae what you looked like in your last life," he whispered then shuttered, thinking back to what he looked like. He was tall and lean with long white hair, but what disturbed him was the fact that he had pointy ears and yellow cat eyes. Alan teased him constantly with cat jokes and elf jokes and he did like the fact that he could see in the dark. What wasn't funny was getting shot in the chest with an arrow while trying to rescue a princess and Adam gently rubbed his chest. His regenerating nearly killed Alan thanks to them being empathically connected and Alan returned the favor a few weeks later when he was badly hurt in a cave in.

"_No fair, I thought we promised to regenerate at the same time," _Alan had told him just before he regenerated, but they both know why Alan was one life up on him. Alan was now on his fifth life where Adam was on his fourth and Alan had to regenerate twice in one year when…

"Pa-paw!" a voice called out as Adam turned around and looked at the four children running toward them. He had lost track how many greats he was as he looked at them and smiled, folding his arms over his chest. Two of the children came from River's family, one came from James' family and one came from David's family and they stopped, looking up at him.

"Well, hello, what are you wee terrors up tae?" he asked, giving them a smile.

"We're bored," Alan said and Adam arched an eyebrow at him.

"How can you be bored with all those games, toys an' videos in the playroom?"

"Can you tell us a story?" Dougal asked and the twins, Liam and Clara, gave Adam sad puppy eyes.

"Aye," he said with a nod of his head and they headed for the couch. Clara held onto Adam's hand and he swung her hand back and forth. Alan was five years old and Adam swore that Big Alan, as they called him, has switched babies in the nursery because Little Alan acted more like him then any of Adam's other grandchildren. Dougal was four and had the same dark blue eyes as Adam did. The twins were three and Clara gave them a scare when she became deathly ill and they were afraid that she was going to die.

"Sit here, Papaw," she said as Adam sat at the center of the large, white couch and she sat on his lap. Liam and Dougal sat to his left and Alan sat to his right and Adam wrapped his arms around Clara, placing his chin on the top of her head.

"Now, what kind of story do you want tae hear?" Adam asked.

"I want to hear a story with a mermaid in it," Clara said and the boys made gagging sounds.

"Och, stop that," Adam said then looked at Clara and smiled. "Well, I do ken a story aboot a very special mermaid."

"Why is the mermaid special?" Clara asked.

"Well…." Adam said then set up a privacy block and half closed his eyes.

"Who lives in a coral under the sea?" Adam sang softly in their minds as they saw a cartoon ocean and cartoon fish swam by, one of the larger fish winked at them.

"Doc-tor Mer-man!" children voices sang as a tiny cartoon version of the Doctor as a merman swam out of the coral and was holding a tiny sonic screwdriver in his hand.

"Adventurous and hyper and handsome is he."

"Doc-tor Mer-man!"

"He swims through the ocean, swish swish."

"Doc-tor-Mer-man!"

"Let's just hope he doesn't get eaten by a fish!" Adam sang as Doctor Merman looked at him then saw a giant shark coming closer and Doctor Merman's eyes went wide. The giant shark swam closer when its jaws snapped shut and the giant shark smiled at them. Suddenly Doctor Merman squeezed out from between the giant shark's teeth and the giant shark pouted and swam away. THE ADVENTURES OF DOCTOR MERMAN appeared over Doctor Merman's head as he looked up and gave them a wink. The scene changed to Doctor Merman swimming through the coral and was whistling while zipping in and out of the coral. Suddenly a watery whirlwind appeared as Doctor Merman sighed and rolled his eyes. The watery whirlwind slowed as a merman with short, spiky black hair and a black fish body appeared and grabbed the sides of his head, his eyes swirling around in circles.

"Whoa, what a rush," Alan of Seaweed said, shaking his head side to side until his eyes stopped rolling.

"And why do I have the pleasure of seeing you, today?" Doctor Merman asked and Alan of Seaweed smiled, brushing some hair from his eyes.

"I am here because her royal pain sent me to fetch you," he said and Doctor Merman frowned, swimming closer until they were face to face.

"That is my wife you are talking about, Bass Breath!" Doctor Merman said and both looked around when they heard the children giggling. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, just ignore it! Oh, wait, it's song time!" Alan of Seaweed said and Calypso music started.

"Not that song again," Doctor Merman sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Under the sea," Alan of Seaweed sang while dancing and spun around in a circle. "Under the sea! It's just little, little ole me, under the sea! The sea is big and scary and I'm just a little fish. I better be mighty careful before I end up a big, fish dish. Oh I am a studly merman, on that we can all agree. I am the studliest thing that…is livin' here under the sea. Under the sea, under the sea, my bladder is full, gotta take a big pee, under the sea!"

"Don't you dare!" Doctor Merman shouted when a yellow liquid shot out of Alan of Seaweed's tail and he smiled at Doctor Merman.

"See, I had to pee, take a piddle, a piss, a wee wee….UNDER THE SEA!" he sang and Doctor Merman sighed, brushing some hair from his eyes. They swam away as Alan of Seaweed hummed and swayed his hips side to side. A few minutes later they came to a humongous coral palace and Alan of Seaweed swam faster. "Yoo-hoo, Honey Fins, I'm home!"

Doctor Merman watched as the doors to the palace opened and a blonde mermaid swam out. Her purple tail shimmered as Alan of Seaweed swam around her and Rose Coral giggled. Behind her came a dark skin mermaid and she had dark hair and a teal tail. Her name was Princess Rain Shower and she batted her eyelashes at Doctor Merman. Swimming closer, she kissed his cheek as Doctor Merman blushed and took her hands, swinging them back and forth.

"Uh, you sent for me?" he asked then heard someone making kissing sounds and looked over at Alan of Seaweed, who quickly turned away, Doctor Merman sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, I need you to go on a quest for me!" she said when several seahorses appeared and made trumpeting sounds with their noses.

"Oi, that was loud!" Alan of Seaweed said, wiggling his finger in his ear.

"And what will I be searching for while on this quest of yours?" Doctor Merman asked when a tiny bubble of light floated out of the palace, soared through the air then crashed into a rock and someone tumbled out of the bubble of light.

"Ow, I really got tae learn how tae land," a voice said when a light brown haired merman sat up and shook his head. He was wearing a purple robe with gold trim on the bottom and sleeves and a purple shell hat was perched on his head. His tail was blue with purple fins and the robe was tied closed by a gold rope belt. Removing the purple shell hat, the merman dusted his hair off when a tiny ball of light flew out of the purple shell hat and landed on the merman's shoulder. With long white hair, the tiny merfairy straightened her white dress as the merman placed the purple shell hat back on his head and smiled at them.

"Good morning, Frazerwick," Princess Rain Shower said and the tiny merfairy glared at her, crossing her tiny arms over her chest. "Good morning to you, too, Angel Fish."

"Good morning, Your Highness," Frazerwick said with a bow and Angel Fish tumbled off his shoulder and landed hard on the sand. "Oops, sorry aboot that."

Picking her up and dusting her off, Frazerwick placed her on his shoulder when he heard giggling and looked around, trying to find where the giggling was coming from. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, just ignore it," Doctor Merman said while Alan of Seaweed and Rose Coral swam closer and floated next to them.

"So, what's the scoop? Why did you make me take time away from my wife and go fetch Captain Catfish here?" Alan of Seaweed asked as Princess Rain Shower glared at him and Frazerwick and Angel Fish softly laughed.

"I need him to go on a quest," Princess Rain Shower said and Alan of Seaweed's eyes went wide.

"We're going on a quest?" he said and Doctor Merman gave him confused look.

"Who said you were going?" he asked when Alan of Seaweed swam to him and pulled him to his side.

"Where you go, I go! It says so right here," Alan of Seaweed said when scroll made of seaweed appeared in his hand and a pair of tiny glasses sat perched on the end of his nose. "Article Three, Subsection Eight. "When Doctor Merman goes on quests, or adventures that are filled with action, danger and deadly traps, Alan of Seaweed must be in attendance of the quest or adventure is null and void!"."

"Whatever," Doctor Merman sighed as his tail swished back and forth then he smiled, looking at Princess Rain Shower. "So, what is this quest?"

"Uh, Papaw, can we take a break?" Liam asked as Adam looked at him and Liam had his hands between his legs.

"You have tae pee?" Adam asked and Liam nodded. "Alright then, go on."

Adam watched as Liam got off the couch then ran up the stairs and Adam smiled, kissing the top of Clara's head.


	193. Chapter 193

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety Three

The TARDIS finally came to an abrupt stop and all the adults breathed out a sigh of relief. The Doctor stood up at the console and took a moment to get his bearings. He looked around and noticed Hope's terrified expression as she lay beside Alan. Alan and everyone else got to their feet and Hope slowly rose up, her hands outstretched towards her father.

"Daddy?" she said in a shaky voice as the Doctor hugged her.

Hope noticed Rain walking towards them and she reached out her arm for her. Rain smiled and embraced her from behind.

"That was scary," Hope said to them.

The Doctor was about to comfort her some more when Alan walked in front of her, he bent down and met her eyes with a stern look.

"Oi, how dare you blow us off course," he said to her.

"I didn't," Hope said.

"Yes, you did. You let out a fart and blew us halfway across the universe. Admit it! You let one rip and we ended up in the middle of a whirlwind, confess!"

The Doctor and Rain watched their daughter as a slow smile spread over her face.

"I didn't fart, you did," she finally said, touching Alan's nose.

"Me? I don't fart. You on the other hand can knock down buildings with your little puffs, Farty Moo Moo."

Hope giggled when Alan began to dance around in front of her while he sang.

"Shame on you, Farty Moo Moo. Instead of that fart going into the loo, it exploded from your bum and we went too-da-loo. Now we're lost and I think I'm gonna sue. Farty, Farty Moo!"

The Doctor looked over his shoulder when Jack tapped him on the shoulder.

"Have you ever had him checked for…mental deficiency and things like that?" Jack asked him.

"I tried but the psychiatrist went insane during the first session," the Doctor replied. "Since then, I've let him do his own thing so I don't get a lawsuit from another therapist's family."

Jack looked over the Doctor's shoulder and smiled when he saw that Hope was no longer scared and was giggling at Alan's antics.

_He really is good with children, isn't he?_ Jack thought to the Doctor.

_Which is the reason why I tolerate his shenanigans, _the Doctor thought back. _She was shaking a few minutes ago and in a panic and now she's laughing at Alan and forgotten her fears. He may be an oddball but you can't deny he has a talent for putting people at their ease._

The Doctor looked at Alan when he tapped him on the shoulder.

"So…where did we land up, thanks to Fartblossom here?" he said, tapping his finger on Hope's head.

"Well, I will have a dekko on the old monitor here," the Doctor said. "Keep the child busy in the meantime."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Alan said, saluting. "Jack and I will entertain the wee one."

Jack raised his eyebrow at that but Alan took Hope's hand.

"Come along, Farty Moo Moo, before you let another one go and blow your dear old dad into the wall," he said, tugging at her hand.

Hope laughed and ran behind Rose who was standing off to the Doctor's left. Jack glanced at Alan as Hope peeked out from behind Rose and grinned at them. Jack shrugged and pranced up to her.

"Watcha doin', Farty Moo Moo?" he said, bending down to her. "Gonna fart and blow Aunty Rosie into the wall?"

"No!" Hope said while Rose and Rain giggled.

Rain walked up to the Doctor's side and watched while Jack tried to tickle Hope. She ran off towards the ramp and Jack and Alan followed her.

"Yup, my brother is great with children," the Doctor said to her while Rose leaned on the rim of the console and watched Jack and Alan tease Hope. "Not a trace of fear left in her now because of him and Jack. Bless. Now let's see where we're at."

Hope came up beside him and watched the screen with silent interest. The Doctor smiled when Alan pranced around the console and flung his face into hers.

"Hey, Nosy, quit being Nosy, Nosy Posy," he said to her while she giggled. "You don't need to know what's going on, Nosy Posy Rosy Rose."

"That's Rose," Hope said, pointing towards Rose.

Alan snapped his body straight and stared at Rose with shock while Rose grinned and waved at him. He leaned down into Hope's face.

"Is that her name? I always thought it was Sparkle Snoofsnoof," he said while Hope giggled. "Or maybe Plunger Bumbottom?"

"No, she's called Rose, now leave me alone, I wanna see the screen," Hope said, pushing on the tip of his nose.

She turned and tried to see the monitor but Alan stuck his hand out in front of her eyes and moved it whenever she moved her head.

"Daddy, Uncle Alan won't let me see the screen," Hope said, tugging on the Doctor's trouser leg.

Without taking his eyes off his monitor, the Doctor tapped Alan on the top of the head. Alan rose up and gave him a questioning look.

"What did I tell you about bothering others?" the Doctor said as he stared at the monitor.

"It was soundly encouraged and I should have a jolly time doing it?" Alan said while the women laughed.

"No, you should behave and let others see the monitor," the Doctor said, speaking as if to a child while he stared at the monitor.

"Really? What a novel idea," Alan mused. "Hmmm," he murmured as he walked back around the console. "Letting others be and letting them see the monitor, I never considered that possibility before…"

"Thanks, Daddy," Hope said, resting her arms on the rim of the console while she looked at the monitor.

"Yeppers," the Doctor said while Rain and Rose giggled.

Suddenly, Alan sped back around the console. Hope laughed when he grabbed her in a tight hug.

"But if I don't bother you, how will I get acknowledgement and love?" he wailed in her ear while the Doctor grinned. "I need to be seen so people won't forget meeeeee!"

Alan shut up when Jack came around the console, stopped behind him and laid his head on his back.

"I'll pay attention to you, Alan Timelord," he said in a screechy falsetto voice.

Everyone laughed when Alan let out a strangled scream, yelled out "cooties!" and ran away from him.

"Knew that'd work," Jack said, coming up behind Hope. "So…where are we?"

"It's called Pangea," the Doctor said, glancing at him. "And no, I don't know where it is and I've never been there before."

"Are we gonna go take a look?" Hope asked him.

"Dunno, I don't know if Pangea is child friendly yet," the Doctor said.

"Well, we could let Captain Cooties there take a gander out yond," Alan said, leaning around the rotor.

"What's wrong with you taking a gander, Self-Absorbed Loony Toony?" Jack said to Alan.

"I'm special, I need to be sheltered and protected. You're expendable; you bounce back if something eats you, so go on, spit spot, out the door, Cootie Whore!"

"Excuse me?" Jack said, putting his hand on his hips and walking over to him while the others giggled. "I'm a what, now?"

"Cootie Whore, but I mean that in the most affectionate way possible. Bye now!" Alan said before he sprinted away towards the back door.

"I'll Cootie Whore you in a moment," Jack muttered as he walked towards the front door.

Alan looked out the back door and everyone else came around the console while Jack walked to the front door. He hesitated a moment and then flung it open. He looked outside and noticed that the TARDIS had landed on a dirt path that was going through the middle of a forest. He heard birdsong in the trees and looked back at the Doctor.

"Unless the birds here breathe no oxygen, I think it's safe to step outside," he said with a shrug.

Jack walked outside, put his hands in his pockets and looked around. The path was surrounded on both sides by a dense forest. Up above him was a blue sky and a yellow sun shone, its light warming him. He looked around, shrugged and came back inside.

"Are you sure this isn't Earth, Doc?" Jack said, walking up beside the Doctor. "Looks like Earth to me."

"TARDIS told me it was Pangea. These aren't the coordinates for Earth," the Doctor said, pointing to his monitor. "There are a lot of planets in the universe that resemble Earth."

"And since you're a former Time Agent, you should know that, Cootie Queen!"

Jack eyed Alan who was peering around the back door while the Doctor bit his lip and shook with silent laughter.

"Could you excuse me a moment, I need to go pull someone's tongue out and shove it up his anus."

Everyone laughed when Jack suddenly sprinted around the Doctor. Alan ducked back into the other room while Jack let out a roar and followed him through the door.


	194. Chapter 194

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety Four

(In the Doctor's distant future)

Adam had gone and gotten some biscuits and chocolate milk for them to snack on while they waited for Liam to come back from the bathroom when Liam walked down the stairs and Adam looked at Liam.

"Did you wash yer hands?" Adam asked and Liam walked to him, holding his hands up. Adam placed the tray he was carrying on the table near the couch when he reached for Liam's hands and felt that they were wet. Leaning down, Adam sniffed Liam's hands then his face and Liam giggled. "Aye, you smell all clean and minty. Must be that new soap that yer grandmother bought."

Picking up the tray, Adam walked to the couch when he placed the tray on the coffee tray and the children picked up a few biscuits off the tray while Adam handed out the napkins. Sitting back on the couch, Clara climbed onto Adam's lap when he opened his mouth for her to put the biscuit in his mouth but she shook her head and held the biscuit to her chest. Pouting, Adam sniffed while his lower lip quivered and she giggled, holding the biscuit out. He bit off a piece of the biscuit then started chewing when Alan appeared in his head and Adam sighed, rolling his eyes.

"_Did I just hear the crunch of freshly made biscuits?" _Alan thought and the children giggled inside their head. Alan was on his fifth life, which resulted in him looking like an Asian man with short, wavy hair and sharp features, and he wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

"_Aye, you did," _Adam thought and Alan grinned.

"_Hold on, no one take another bite until I get there!" _Alan thought then vanished and the children looked at Adam, who got up and went to get another glass of chocolate milk. Alan arrived a few seconds later when he tucked into a small pile of biscuits and chugged on the chocolate milk.

"So…" he said while wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his sweatshirt and Adam sighed, rolling his eyes. "What are you lot up to this fine day?"

"Papaw was telling us a story," Clara said and Alan's eyes went wide.

"You were having story time and you didn't invite me?" Alan gasped.

"I didnae ken that you wanted tae hear one," Adam said then sipped on the chocolate milk and Alan knelt on his knees, going face to face with him and breathed hard and fast through his nose.. "Och, back off, you got milk breath!"

"How can I have milk breath if I am breathing through my nose?"

"You always have milk breath, Moo Moo Mouth!" Adam said and Alan's mouth fell open.

"Oh, that's it, I demand…" Alan said and Adam held up his right hand, smiling.

"Aye, we can have a water gun battle tae the death later. I want tae get back tae my story."

"Fine," Alan grumbled as he sat on the floor and Liam crawled onto Alan's lap, sticking a biscuit in Alan's mouth. Smiling, Alan wrapped his arm around Liam's waist then took the biscuit out of his mouth and looked at Adam. "So, what is the story about?"

"He was telling us a story about Doctor Merman," Alan said and Alan's eyes went wide.

"Oh, now there is someone I haven't heard of in a long time! Did you include his faithful sidekick?" Alan asked and Adam gave him a shocked look.

"Like I would forget Alan of Seaweed," Adam said, looking insulted. "Now, where was I?"

"Princess Rain Shower was going to tell them about the quest," Liam said and Adam nodded, setting up the privacy block.

"So, what is this quest you want us to go on?" Doctor Merman asked while Princess Rain Shower played with his hair and he coughed, moving his head away.

"Oh, I need you to go find this," she said then snapped her fingers….

"That's not easy to do underwater," Alan said as his head appeared over them and they looked up at him. "Hello, Down There."

"That was a movie, wasnae it?" Adam asked as his head appeared and Alan looked at him.

"What are you on about?"

"I asked if Hello, Down There a movie?"

"Ummmm…I think it was. Yeah, it was made in nineteen sixty nine and starred Tony Randall and Janet Leigh."

"If I remember right, Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws was in it, too."

"Yeah, he was, and so was…" Alan said then saw Doctor Merman tapping his fin on the sand and had an angry look on his face. "Sorry."

"Aye, sorry aboot that," Adam said as they left and Doctor Merman sighed, rolling his eyes. Princess Rain Shower giggled as the merman with long white hair and green eyes swam closer and his blue and yellow scale tail shimmered as he swished his tail. He was wearing a gold chest plate and helmet and he handed her a seaweed scroll then bowed, swimming away. Princess Rain Shower unrolled the seaweed scroll as they looked at the drawings and Alan of Seaweed pushed Doctor Merman out of the way so he could have a better look.

"Oi, that was rude!" Doctor Merman said and Alan of Seaweed stuck his tongue out at him.

"Since I am the map holder…." he said while taking the map from Princess Rain Shower and Doctor Merman's eyes went wide.

"Who said that you're holding the map?" he asked and Alan of Seaweed gave him a smug look.

"Who do you expect to carry the map?" he asked when Rose Coral took the map from him and his mouth fell open. "Hey, give that back!"

"No, besides, you know that you're lousy with directions," Rose Coral said when Alan's head appeared again and he growled.

"I am not!" he shouted as Adam's head appeared and the others looked up at them.

"I wasnae talking aboot you, you daft ninny," he said and Alan glared at him.

"Then who were you talking about?"

"I was talking aboot him!" Adam said and Alan of Seaweed pouted, sticking out his lower lip.

"Papaw, that was mean," Clara said as she appeared next to Alan of Seaweed and hugged him.

"No one likes me," Alan of Seaweed sobbed and she patted his back, looking up at Alan and Adam.

"Ok, I'm sorry," Adam said as Alan of Seaweed sniffed, took out a seaweed handkerchief and blew his nose. Alan, Clara and Adam vanished as Alan of Seaweed looked at the others and Doctor Merman crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head.

"What can I say? I'm loveable," Alan of Seaweed said with a grin and Frazerwick and Angel Fish laughed. Pushing him aside, Doctor Merman looked at the scroll and saw what looked like a seahorse encrusted with jewels and Alan of Seaweed whistled while little bubbles floated into the air. He quickly looked up to see if Alan was going to appear then smiled and leaned his elbow on Doctor Merman's shoulder.

"What is this?" Doctor Merman asked, pointing to the drawing then looked at Alan of Seaweed. "And, yes, I know it's a map. I was talking about the drawing."

"Wasn't going to say a word," Alan of Seaweed said, holding up his hands.

"That is the royal seahorse. It was stolen during the last war and Daddy never sent anyone to get it back," Princess Rain Shower said and Doctor Merman nodded. King Neptune had surrendered the kingdom to Doctor Merman after he had retrieved the Staff of Power and….

"Hey, he didn't do it by himself, you know!" Alan of Seaweed shouted and Adam's head appeared above them.

"Sorry," he said then vanished and Alan of Seaweed folded his arms over his chest, shaking his head.

"He's getting senile," Alan said as his head appeared above them then he yelped and looked at someone who wasn't there. "Hey, that's rude."

"Can we get on with this?" Doctor Merman asked as he tapped his fin on the sand and Alan nodded, vanishing. King Neptune had surrendered the kingdom to Doctor Merman when Doctor Merman, Alan of Seaweed, Frazerwick, Angel Fish, Rose Coral and Princess Rain Shower retrieved the Staff of Power and….

"He is right. You are getting senile. You forgot someone," Alan of Seaweed said and Adam's head appeared above them. Alan of Seaweed pointed to a large coral mountain when the theme music from Indiana Jones started playing and a figure floated at the top of the large coral mountain.

"I didnae forget him. He doesnae come into the story until later," Adam said and Alan of Seaweed blushed, swishing his tail in a small circle.

"Sorry," Alan of Seaweed said and Adam nodded, vanishing again.

King Neptune had surrendered the kingdom to Doctor Merman when Doctor Merman, Alan of Seaweed, Frazerwick, Angel Fish, Rose Coral, Princess Rain Shower and someone to be named later retrieved the Staff of Power and King Neptune had retired to a summer castle in the North Sea.

"And this will show us where the seahorse is?" Doctor Merman asked and Princess Rain Shower nodded her head. "Right then, let's get this adventure on the road!"

"What's a road?" Alan of Seaweed asked as Rose Coral swatted the back of his head and he glared at her. Sighing, he went to catch up with Doctor Merman as Frazerwick looked at Princess Rain Shower and she arched an eyebrow at him.

"Well?" she asked and he blinked his eyes a few times.

"You want me tae go, too?" he asked and she nodded. Tucking Angel Fish under his hat, he waved his hands and a ball of light surrounded him. Princess Rain Shower and Rose Coral watched the ball of light floating away when Rose Coral tapped her and Princess Rain Shower looked at her.

"Um, call me crazy, but I think we should go with them," Rose Coral said and Princess Rain Shower nodded her head then they went to catch up with the others.

"Hold on, my cell phone is ringing," Alan said as he took the cell phone out of his pocket and flipped the cell phone open. "Hel-lu, you have reached Alan's phone. His awesomeness is not in at the moment, so leave…"

"Where are you?" Rose asked as he smiled and leaned back against the couch.

"I am over at Adam's house. He is telling the grandkiddies a story."

"What's the story about?"

"Would you believe it's about Doctor Merman?"

"Oh, I remember that story! Can I come over?"

"Nope, sorry, no can…" Alan said then gasped when Adam took the cell phone and flipped him off.

"Hello," Adam said and Clara smacked his hand for flipping Alan off.

"Hello, can I come over and listen to the story?" Rose asked.

"Of course you can. In fact, can you go around an' ask the Doctor, Rain, Frazer an' Angel if they want tae come over as well. Mebbe ask Donna tae come too. She's in it as well."

"Wouldn't it be better if you just broadcasted it to everyone?" Alan asked and Adam cupped the bottom of the cell phone.

"Nae everyone's on planet right now an' I dinnae want tae interrupt if they're doing something important."

"Ah, you're right, we wouldn't want that," Alan said with a nod of his head and the children giggled. "Hey, who said you can giggle?"

"You're silly," Alan said then yelped when Alan tickled his armpits and Adam rolled his eyes.

"I'll contact the others and we'll be there in a bit," Rose said, ending the call. Adam handed the cell phone to Alan then placed Clara on the couch and stood up, heading for the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Alan asked, getting up and walking to him.

"Well, seeing that we're going tae have more company, I'm going tae need more food and drinks," Adam said then went into the kitchen and Alan turned, looking at the children.

"No touching the nibbles until we get back," Alan said, wagging his finger at them then followed Adam into the kitchen and the children frowned, folding their arms over their chests. The children looked at the tray when they slowly moved their hands toward the tray and smiled, looking at each other. "What did I just say?"

"How did he know?" Liam asked as they moved away from the tray while Alan stuck his head out and smiled, going back inside the kitchen.


	195. Chapter 195

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety Five

Before leaving the TARDIS, the Doctor packed a small rucksack with some essentials so they would be prepared. While he was doing that, Hope carried things to him and watched while he packed them in the black rucksack before he directed her to get something else. When she went off to fetch a flashlight, the Doctor thought to his brother and asked him to come to the kitchen. A few minutes later, Alan sauntered through the door.

"A-yeeeeees-ah, Old Fearless Exaulted One?" Alan said.

"You are in charge of my daughter while we explore," the Doctor said. "I need to keep alert for danger and as much as I love my daughter playing with me and teasing me, I can't afford to be distracted here. I want to see what's out there and if it really is safe enough for us to be out there. You can keep her distracted and keep her calm so will you do this for me?"

"Indeedly-doobly, Fearless Leader Person," Alan said with a salute.

The Doctor gave him a hug.

"There," he said, pulling away from Alan. "I've acknowledged you and given you love."

"Muchly, muchly appreciated. Now can you give me money?"

The Doctor shook his head when Alan sniggered and he gave his head a playful shove.

"Get outta here, ya git," the Doctor said affectionately. "And fetch a small first aid kit for the knapsack."

"Aye, aye, Oncoming Storm type person," Alan said with a salute.

The Doctor chuckled to himself when Alan hurried out the door.

Once everything was assembled, Jack put the rucksack on his back while the Doctor moved his sonic screwdriver from his trouser pocket to his jacket's interior pocket in case he needed it quickly. At the back of the group, Alan stood with Hope. Hope giggled when Alan gave her a wide eyed look.

"Now…" he said to her. "There will be no monkeyshines, funny business or horseplay. Order and decorum is the order of the day, order and decorum, is that clear?"

"No!"

She giggled when Alan gave her a long, hard stare before he smiled lovingly and took her hand. They stepped out of the TARDIS and the Doctor closed the door before taking Rain's hand. He, Rain and Jack took the lead while Rose walked beside her husband and Hope.

"No shenanigans," Alan said as they walked.

"Who, me?" Rose said to him.

"No. The Nipper Kipper here. I'm babysitting her," Alan said, pointing to Hope. "I want no shenanigans today."

Rose snorted.

"I think you need to follow your own advice," she said.

Alan looked at Hope.

"Rose is being sarcastic to me. What do you plan to do about that?" he asked her.

"Nothing," Hope said.

"Nothing! But she just besmirched my honor!" Alan said while Rose chuckled. "And no one besmirches my honor. My honor must remain smirched, by giddy, by gum! So…what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing."

"Fine. See if I buy you something nice and shiny in future," Alan said airily.

"What's wrong with Daddy?" Hope asked Alan.

Alan raised his eyebrow.

"Well, apart from the fact that he's 80 bazillion years old and probably is about to break down like a wonky old car, nothing, why?"

Jack, Rain and Rose laughed when the Doctor turned his head and eyed Alan. Alan gave him an innocent look in return. He then looked at his daughter after Alan winked at him.

"Why do you think there's something wrong with me?" he asked.

Hope walked up to him and took his hand.

"I wanna be up here with you. I'm your helper," she said.

Rain rubbed her back while the Doctor squeezed her hand.

"You are being my helper," the Doctor said. "I need you to watch over him."

Hope looked back at Alan when the Doctor pointed at him.

"I'm very mischievous and need constant monitoring lest I go off somewhere and destroy things," Alan said.

The Doctor put a hand on her head and Hope looked up into his loving brown eyes.

"Remember when I showed you the memory of us on the beach and I told Rose he had to look after him?"

Hope nodded and the Doctor leaned down to her right ear.

"Well, now I'm giving you the same job. You need to watch him closely, yeah?" he said while Hope giggled. "He's a nutter, ya see?"

"I like knives," Alan said with wide eyes. "I like to pounce on small animals, rip them open and eat their innards, mighty tasty. I also like to use the regeneration energy Brother poured into me and make myself Godzilla size and go stomping on small cities. It's fun plus it's a great stress reliever. Although…peeling the dead bodies off my shoes is a pain in the patoot, but still, can't beat a good Godzilla rampage through a small city."

The Doctor fought to keep a straight face while Rain, Rose and Hope giggled. Jack shook his head and muttered, "I wonder if I damaged the hand when I put it in the jar and that's why he's mental now."

"See, I need you to mind him so he doesn't creep up on me and do things," the Doctor said to Hope in a hushed voice. "He might pounce on me and take out my innards, you see?"

"I would do it to watch him regenerate but thanks to the Amalashians, we already know what you'll look like so that would be a waste of time there. Perhaps I could pretend to be Hannibal Lecter, open up your head and fry your brains as you watch. We could see your Time Lord intellect slowly go from ya until you're a raving monkey boy. Might be interesting."

Jack sniggered while the Doctor shook with silent laughter. It took him a moment to sober up enough so he could talk to his daughter.

"So…" the Doctor said, "if you're my helper, do you want the job? Think you can handle Crazy Boy there?"

"Godzilla stomp!" Alan said, stomping his feet repeatedly.

"Yeah, I can handle him, Daddy," Hope said.

"Good. Because I need to keep my peepers peeled for danger and I can't babysit the basket case."

"I like straitjackets," Alan said with wide eyes. "I can hug myself and feel love all the day long."

The Doctor could no longer contain his laughter. He kissed his daughter, wished her luck and Rain kissed her cheek and tousled her hair before she walked back to Alan's side.

"Hello, small person, are you minding me now?" Alan said to her.

"Yes, so you behave," Hope said, wagging her finger.

"Ooo, I'll try but the urge to pounce is very strong," Alan said, taking her hand.

"Don't drive her insane while you're pouncing on things," Rose said to him. "I don't think the Doctor wants to section her at the end of this hike."

"But…if I make her barmy, she'll join me in Barmyland…where you're the prime minister."

"Got that right," Rose said while Rain giggled.

They walked the path together, the adults looking around while they tried to determine if there was anything dangerous around them. Hope glanced up at Alan who was looking off to his left and she turned her head to the right. Something caught her eye and she stopped. She giggled when Alan kept walking in place and looking around.

"Hey, why am I not getting anywhere?" he said.

He did a double take as he pretended to notice Hope for the first time.

"Oh, it's you. You've stopped," he said, stopping with her. "Is there a problem? A twig in your path because I can carry you, you know."

"Look!" Hope said, pointing to a tree beside them.

On a thick branch sat a bird who was observing them quietly. It resembled a hummingbird but it had a short beak similar to a parakeet. Its purple and red feathers shimmered in the sun. Hope was enchanted with the bird and she let go of Alan's hand and slowly walked towards the bird while Alan followed. He frowned when he noticed the bird wasn't spooked by them and continued to sit there, observing them. In fact, he could swear the bird's movements were almost robotic.

"Hope," Alan said, suddenly uneasy, "love, step back."

"Why? I wanna see the pretty birdy," Hope said, looking at him.

"Yes, I know. But I don't think this is an ordinary bird. It's too mellow, for starters. Bro…"

He started to call to the Doctor and he noticed that they were stopped about twenty feet from them, looking back at them in confusion. Alan beckoned to them and the rest of his family shared a glance and turned back towards them. He turned his head back around and he noticed that Hope was now trying to touch the bird.

"Hope, wait, don't touch…"

Alan's words were cut short when Hope touched the bird and two beams of light came from its eyes, enveloping them in a ball of white light. The Doctor and the others with him let out startled yells when the light disappeared after a few seconds and there was no sign of Alan or Hope.


	196. Chapter 196

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety Six

(In the Doctor's distant future)

The Doctor, Rain, Rose, Frazer, Angel and Donna arrived as Adam brought out a tray with some sandwiches and drinks and Alan closed the door, watching the others head for the couch. The Doctor was on his last life, which saddened everyone. Adam knew firsthand what it was like when the Doctor dies for the last time because Duer, who was also on this last life, had died in his sleep a month ago. Marion had taken Frankie, who was on her sixth life, to a spa planet and Adam wondered if Frankie would ever be the same without her hearts mate. Adam knew that he would be lost without Marion, who looked like a tall Scottish woman with long black hair and green eyes and was on her third life.

The Doctor looked like Michael York now and still had a limp from the time he broke his leg. Rain was older as well and on her fifth life. She was Caucasian with light brown hair and had a Cockney accent. Rose was on her fourth life and Donna was on her third life. Rose was looked like a short Asian woman with long ebony hair and a plump face. Donna had olive skin and dark hair and eyes and Lee teased her, calling her his "Greek Goddess".

Frazer was on his fifth life and he tucked the pointy ears under his hair. He spent most of his life seeing beings from myth and fantasy, so looking like an elf didn't bother him. He was tall and lean and had long blonde hair and green cat shaped eyes. Angel was on her fourth life and she had decided to join her husband in looking elflike. She was also tall and lean but with bright red hair, pointy ears and yellow cat shaped eyes. Both of them were wearing light brown tunics, brown trousers and white, rabbit fur boots and Frazer's face was long where Angel's face was round.

"Right, now that we're all here, let's get on with the story!" Alan said while the Doctor settle on the recliner and Clara looked at him then at his leg.

"Is your leg still poorly?" she asked as he smiled and gently patting her head.

"No, it's feeling much better," he said as she crawled onto his lap and he placed his arms around her. Adam served the food and drinks as he kissed the top of Clara's head and she giggled. Setting the tray on the coffee table, Adam sat on the couch when Liam climbed onto his lap and Alan sat on the floor next to the couch, looking up at Adam.

"I think you should give them a quick recap of the story or they won't have a clue about what's going on," Alan said and Adam nodded, patting him on the top of the head. Adam sat back then told them about Doctor Merman being asked by Princess Rain Shower to fetch the royal seahorse and that he, Alan of Seaweed, Frazerwick and Angel Fish had set off in search of it.

"Hold it. Is this the story where I ended up looking like some octopus woman?" Donna asked.

"No," Adam said while wiggling his eyebrows up and down and she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Well, if she makes a return appearance, I will slap you so hard that you'll feel it in your last life," she warned and he nodded his head. Slowly closing his eyes, Adam set up the privacy block when the cartoon ocean appeared in their minds and he softly smiled.

"Tiny bubbles…blowing out of my nose…Tiny bubbles…showing the direction in which my fart goes…" Alan of Seaweed sang while Doctor Merman pinched his eyes closed and sighed. Alan of Seaweed swished his hips side to side while they moved by the large coral mountains and Doctor Merman held the tiny sonic screwdriver in his right hand. He scanned the coral when something moved in the shadows and Alan of Seaweed gasped when Doctor Merman stopped him. "What?"

"Something's here," Doctor Merman whispered as he pointed to the shadows and Alan of Seaweed hid behind him, placing his hands on Doctor Mermaid's shoulders. Doctor Merman hushed him as he slowly move closer and held the tiny sonic screwdriver tightly in his hand. Something growled when a pair of red eyes appeared in the shadows and Alan of Seaweed screamed like a girl.

"Hold it!" Alan said when his head appeared above them and they looked up at him. "I do NOT scream like a girl!"

"Zip it," Rose said as her head appeared and Alan snorted, vanishing while she looked down at them. "Sorry about that."

"No problem," Doctor Merman said with a smile and Alan of Seaweed shrugged his shoulders. Doctor Merman slowly moved closer when something roared and the head of a creature with a long neck emerged from the cave while its flippers slapped the seafloor. The creature was covered in a soft black skin and had a slit for a mouth with two slits for a nose. The back of the creature had a hump and two of the four flippers stuck out from under its muscular body.

Adam looked over at Frazer while Frazer sighed and placed his head on Angel's shoulder. The last of Loch's line died a year ago when someone poisoned the water in its tank and it didn't have time to lay an egg. He knew that Frazer missed Loch and he smiled, sending love into Frazer's mind.

"I miss Loch, too," Alan said. He was sitting on Frazer's lap as he pouted and placed the back of his head against Frazer's chest. Wrapping his arms around Alan, Frazer nodded and Adam half closed his eyes, setting up a privacy block.

"What is that?" Alan of Seaweed asked as he pointed to the creature when the ball of light sailed by them and nearly hit the wall. Frazerwick and Angel Fish tumbled out of the ball of light as Frazerwick placed his hat on his head when he shook his head out then looked at the creature and smiled.

"Ah, there you are, Loch," he said when Loch swam out of the cave and headed for him. Loch purred as he stroked the soft skin and Doctor Merman and Alan of Seaweed looked at each other with confused looks on their face.

"Um, mind introducing us to your friend?" Doctor Merman asked and Frazerwick smiled, swimming up and sat on Loch's back.

"This is Loch. He is a water horse. I raised him since he was a bairn," Frazerwick said while Angel Fish swam around his head and he took his hat off, catching her as she came around for another pass. She yelped as he giggled then placed the hat on his head and she grumbled softly under the hat.

"So he's friendly?" Doctor Merman asked.

"Aye, totally friendly," Frazerwick said with a nod of his head. Loch made a loud bellowing sound as its head rose upward and Frazerwick rubbed his hand on its neck. "Hey now, I said that you were friendly. What's the matter?"

"Maybe it has to do with that!" Alan of Seaweed said as a large, black shadow appeared and it slowly blanketed them in darkness. Alan of Seaweed held onto Doctor Merman's shoulders while they watched the large, black shadow moved by and Alan of Seaweed peeked out from behind Doctor Merman.

"What was that?" Alan of Seaweed asked as Doctor Merman watched the large, black shadow then swam after it and Alan of Seaweed sighed, shaking his head. "Why am I not surprised that he was going to follow it?"

"Are we going tae follow him?" Frazerwick asked when Alan of Seaweed swam up then settled on Loch's back and looked at him with slightly wide eyes. "I guess so."

"Hi-ho, Loch, and…" Alan of Seaweed shouted but nearly fell off Loch's back as it sailed through the water and Frazerwick giggled. "Why didn't you warn me that it has warp speed?"

"You didnae ask me," Frazerwick said and Alan of Seaweed growled.

"Now where did they go?" Princess Rain Shower asked while she and Rose Coral swam by the sea grass and she held her hand over her eyes, scanning for any sign of Doctor Merman, Alan of Seaweed, Angel Fish or Frazerwick and sighed.

"I'm sure they came this way," Rose Coral said when a large, black shadow appeared over them and they swam to a large rock, hiding behind it. The large, black shadow moved by as they swam around to the front of the rock and looked up at the large, black shadow. "What was that?"

"I think it's a shadow," Doctor Merman said as he floated behind them and they jumped, turning around to look at them. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"Where is Alan of Seaweed?" Rose Coral asked when they heard a loud bellowing sound and her eyes went wide.

"What is that?" Princess Rain Shower asked as Loch came closer then stopped next to them and Alan of Seaweed floated down, kissing the sand after he landed.

"Oh, sand, how I missed you!" he said then kissed the sand again and Rose Coral and Princess Rain Shower doubled over, laughing.

"Och, knock it off, it wasnae that bad!" Frazerwick said as he floated down and Alan of Seaweed stood up, wiping the sand from his lips.

"I think I lost my stomach back there by that sunken thing where the sharks live!" Alan of Seaweed said and Doctor Merman sighed, rolling his eyes.

"My, this is…interesting," Princess Rain Shower said as she floated around Loch and gently patted the soft skin. "It's a water horse, isn't it?"

"Aye, it is," Frazerwick said with a nod of his head and Angel Fish pushed his hat up then looked out at Loch.

"It doesn't eat merfairies, does it?" she asked and the hat gently wobbled on Frazerwick's head.

"No," Frazerwick said and Angel Fish lowered the hat.

"Just to be safe, I'll stay under here," her muffled voice said as he rolled his eyes and Doctor Merman smiled.

"So, Boss Fins, what do you think that shadow thing was?" Alan of Seaweed asked as he placed his elbow on Doctor Merman's shoulder and brushed some hair out of his eyes.

"Let's go find out," Doctor Merman said as he floated up and Rose Coral, Princess Rain Shower and Frazerwick followed him. Sighing, Alan of Seaweed floated up then sat next to Rose Coral and Frazerwick nodded, patting the soft skin. Purring, Loch swam away as they held on and a large trail of bubbles swirled under Loch's fins.

"Then what happened?" Alan asked while Adam got up and headed for the stairs.

"I'll tell you once I get back from the loo, Boo-Boo!" Adam said then went up the stairs and Alan pouted, folding his arms over his chest.

"Oh, don't look so blue, he'll be back," Rose said as she sat down on the floor next to him and Alan sighed, placing his head on her shoulder.

"He better not take too long. The one thing I can't stand is cliff hangers," Alan sighed and Rose wrapped her arms him.


	197. Chapter 197

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety Seven

Alan's senses were on red alert the moment the light faded. He looked around and noticed he and Hope were in a small room with steel walls, ceiling and floor. There was a steel framed bed with a mattress, pillow and red blanket on it, a steel table beside it with a small lamp and a steel toilet in the southern corner of the room, but other than that the room was bare.

Hope blinked her eyes and looked left and right in confusion.

"Hey, where'd everybody go?" she said, turning around.

She froze when she saw the angry look on Alan's face.

"I told you not to touch it!" he said sternly. "Now we're trapped somewhere!"

"I…"

Hope wanted to give him an explanation but didn't know what to say. She knew she should have obeyed Alan's command not to touch the bird but it was so pretty and it was standing there on the twig and she had never touched a bird before. She looked at Alan's angry expression and knew that she'd upset him. The realization that she did something that made her favorite uncle angry brought her to tears and she began to cry while she sobbed out how sorry she was for touching the bird.

"I'm…sorry," she wailed. "I didn't mean to do this. I just wanted…"

She cried harder, feeling angry with herself for disobeying Alan and letting him and her family down. She wanted more than anything to help her father and be a Time Lady and she was angry that she had been so stupid. While she cried, she felt Alan kneel down next to her.

"Shhh," he said, embracing her. "Hey, it's alright. I'm sorry I got so angry with ya. I've made stupid mistakes too and so has everyone else in your family, okay?"

Hope looked up at him and saw his crestfallen face. She let out a ragged sob.

"I…I wanna be a Time Lady and I did this stupid thing and I'm sorry," she said between sobs.

Alan rocked her and held her close, pouring love into her mind while he tried to calm her.

"Daddy won't let me help him now," Hope said, rubbing her tear filled eyes.

"Awww, course he will," Alan said gently. "I told ya he's done stupid things before and that includes touching things he shouldn't have. If he got rid of every companion the moment they did something stupid, he would have been alone 99 percent of the time. You did this and it's done and you know now that if someone tells you not to touch something, you do it, lesson learned. Now calm down. I need your help now because we need to get out of here. Plus, the place must have a damper because I can only feel your mind at the moment and your mind is very, very sad and it's throwing off my chi so please cheer up before I give you tickles and snugglebumpkins, eh?"

"I just want everyone to be proud of me," Hope said mournfully.

"We are proud of ya. You're our little junior Time Lady in training and your daddy wouldn't have let you come outside if he didn't trust ya. Please stop crying, eh? You need to help me so we can get out of here so you need to dry your tears, okay?"

Hope sniffed and nodded. Alan kissed the wet streaks on her cheeks and Hope wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly while Alan poured love into her mind.

"Now…" he said, cupping her cheeks, "are we ready to solve this puzzling puzzle of how to get outta here?"

Hope nodded and he kissed her nose before he stood up and reached into his pocket.

"First off, let's try the mobile and see if we can reach them that way," he said, sitting back down on the floor.

Hope sat down beside him, drew her knees up to her chest and watched while he checked for any bars on his screen. He cursed when he saw none.

"No service. This phone doesn't need antennas to operate so the damper thingy is probably disrupting it. Blast. Still…your mum and dad and aunt and uncle are clever. Perhaps they'll figure it out, eh?"

Hope nodded and Alan tousled her hair before he got up and put his mobile back in his pocket. Hope watched while he went to the walls, trying to find a hidden door. She watched for a moment before she went to the wall off to his right and did what he did; both of them feeling along the walls for any hidden switch or button or just hoping the right touch would trigger something. Then suddenly, there was a flash and a hole appeared in the wall in front of Alan. Alan stepped back and got in front of his niece when someone dressed in a white spacesuit stepped inside and pointed a blaster at him. Alan put his hands up in front of him as he tried to peer into the helmet. The Perspex covering the face was blacked out and he couldn't see any head of any kind. He suddenly wondered if it was the Vashta Nerada but then thought they would probably be dead by now if it was.

"Whoever you are, we're friendly," Alan said. "We mean you no harm and I hope you mean us no harm."

The spaceman leaned out the hole and beckoned to someone. Then another person in a spacesuit entered holding a small metal box in his hand. On the side of the box was a long, rectangular hole.

"Stick your hand in the hole," the one with the box said in a deep male voice.

"Why?" Alan said.

"Stick your hand in the hole and be identified," the man said, holding the box out.

"Hey, you leave him…"

Hope was about to come up beside Alan but stopped when he held his hand out and gave her a warning look. Hope backed up several steps, making sure to obey this time but she watched nervously while Alan put his hand in the hole. He saw him wince and wondered what they were doing to him. The man asked him to withdraw his hand and Alan examined it while the man read something on the back of the box. Alan glanced at him when the man frantically beckoned to his companion and they read the back of the box together.

"What'd they do, Uncle Alan?" Hope asked.

"Pricked my finger and took a blood sample," Alan said, showing her his index finger. "I think they did a DNA scan and…"

"You are the Doctor," the man with the box said in awe.

Hope frowned and came up beside Alan.

"Nuh-uh, this is my Uncle Alan, the Doctor is my daddy," she said.

Alan chuckled.

"I'm a clone, love. I have the same DNA as your daddy so that's why they think that. But she's right," he said to the man. "My name is Alan; I'm a clone of the Doctor."

"I was not aware the Doctor had a clone," the man said.

"Yes, well, I'm a well kept secret," Alan said.

The man passed the box to his friend and reached up to take off his helmet. For a moment, Alan got a flashback of River doing the same thing in the library but when the helmet was removed, the face was frog-like.

"Hey, it's Kermit the Frog," Hope said.

"Now, Hope, that's not nice," Alan said, trying not to laugh. "Be polite."

"If you're not the Doctor, where is he? Is he deceased and left his clone to carry on in his place?"

"No, actually, he's…well, we were walking through the forest and stopped to look at a bird and Hope and I were brought here so wherever the bird was, that's where the Doctor and the rest of my family are."

"Ah! Terzac, go tell Pelema to locate the Doctor and bring them here," the man said.

Terzac nodded and walked out of the room. The man extended his hand.

"I am Belock, leader of the expedition here on Pangea."

"Ah, I am Alan and this is my niece, Hope."

"Hi," Hope said, shaking his hand.

"Hello, small one, it is a pleasure to meet both of you and…"

"Found them, Commander," Pelema said through his communicator. "Bringing them to your location now."

There was a sudden flash and the rest of his family staggered after being teleported to the room. They looked around in confusion and Rain knelt when Hope ran to her and hugged her.

"There you are, we were looking for you," Rain said to Hope as the Doctor tousled her hair.

"I'm sorry," she said to Rain and the Doctor. "I did a bad thing and didn't listen to Uncle Alan. I wanna help you. I wanna be a Time Lady. I'll listen next time and be good."

"I told her that she doesn't need to worry because we've all done stupid things in the past," Alan said to the Doctor.

"Can I still help you, Daddy?" Hope said.

"Course you can," the Doctor said, tousling her hair. "Can't do it without you. Besides, Alan's right. I've done stupid things as well so don't worry about it. You're safe and that's what matters. Question is, are we prisoners? We were examining that bird to try to get it to work for us and here we are."

Belock came forward and introduced himself. The Doctor shook his hand, introduced his family and repeated his question. Belock shook his head.

"Not at all. We are merely researchers, not kidnappers. We use those birds as teleports and your clone and daughter accidentally came here. There is no malice intended. However, we did a DNA scan on your clone brother and your DNA registered on our scanner so we assumed it was you."

"I have an owie now because of them, see?" Alan said, walking up to the Doctor and showing him his finger.

"Get Rose to kiss it and make it feel better then," the Doctor said.

Alan walked his finger over to Rose while the Doctor turned his attention back to Belock. He was about to say something to him when he noticed Rose was in a liplock with her husband. He caught Rain's eye and she rolled her eyes while he chuckled.

"So," he said, turning back to Belock, "what are you researching?"

"The environment of this planet and the dinosaurs that are here."

"Dinosaurs?" the Doctor said, surprised. "We didn't see any dinosaurs."

"They are rare in your location because we put up sonic emitters to keep them off the path. However, they are numerous in the deep woods. We came to this planet to research them once others learned of this planet and their existence. However, some of the dinosaurs found our shuttle and thought it was prey apparently and damaged it. We have heard that you have a great mind, could you help us fix it? We're stranded here because of that and we would like to go home now."

"I'll try. I can't guarantee anything until I've had a look at it but I will help you in any way I can," the Doctor said. "But before I do that, what sort of dinosaurs live here?"

"Come with me. I'll take you to the teleport room and we'll go up to the observatory," Belock said.

Hope took her mother's hand while everyone else followed Belock out of the room.


	198. Chapter 198

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety Eight

Hope staggered back when the teleport finished. She shook her head.

"I don't like when that happens," she said to the Doctor. "It makes me wobbly."

"Yes, well, it takes awhile to get used to that sort of travel," the Doctor said, patting her head. "Don't worry; it took awhile for me to adjust to teleportation as well."

They looked around and noticed they were in a large square metal room that had huge rectangular windows on every side. When the Doctor walked to the window, he noticed that they were high up in the air in a metal observatory tower. Hope walked up beside him while everyone else looked out the windows.

"Wow, we're up above the trees," Hope said, looking down at the treetops.

"Are you scared?" the Doctor asked her with wide eyes.

"No. Are you?" Hope said.

The Doctor gave her a scared look as he nodded his head rapidly and grinned when Hope hugged his middle. He patted her shoulder and turned to Belock. Behind Belock, he saw a metal table with computer, binoculars and assorted papers and books on top of it, a metal filing cabinet and a metal chair in front of the table.

"So, how long have your team been here then?" the Doctor asked him.

"For about six months. We've been documenting the wildlife and taking samples," Belock said. "The ship was damage about a week ago, right when we were planning to go home. Unfortunately, this is mating season on the planet and the dinosaur population has increased around here and around the ship.

"But you said sonic vibrations scare them off?" the Doctor said.

"Most of them. Some of the larger ones aren't fazed but those keep to the densest part of the forest and…"

The Doctor jerked his head around when he heard a bang and Hope's startled scream. A pterodactyl had flown up to the tower and was now hanging on the roof in front of the window.

"And those, are there a lot of those at this time?" the Doctor asked Belock as he pointed to the pterodactyl.

"Unfortunately, yes," Belock said. "And being amphibious, we're obviously afraid to do repairs with them flying overhead."

"Well, you can come with me. I have my TARDIS here and I can get you lot home," the Doctor said. "We just have to get back to the path we were on and hey presto, you're home free."

"Hey!" Hope said. "Hey, Uncle Jack, he looks like Myfanwy. Maybe Myfanwy wants a friend?"

"Uh…no, Myfanwy is a big enough handful without adding a friend," Jack said while his family laughed. "We'll leave Myfanwy Part Two here in the forest. But the Doctor is right, we can get you back to our TARDIS and you won't have to deal with creatures like this."

"Actually, we do need to get inside the ship for a few minutes so we can gather up our research," Belock said. "Sorry about that but we have computer discs that contain vital information on them."

"Then let me retrieve them," Jack said. "If someone happens, I can come back to life as I am. If there are dinosaurs around, I'll take the risk."

"What do you mean come back to life as you are?" Belock asked.

The Doctor explained about his immortality while Belock stared at Jack in a stunned silence. Jack blushed a bit when Belock kept staring at him.

"And do you have the secret of this immortality, this Bad Wolf. Where can we find it?" Belock asked him.

Everyone laughed when Jack jabbed his finger back at Rose.

"Meet the Bad Wolf," Jack said. "She's responsible for my immortality."

"Really?" Belock said, walking over to her. "Dear one, would you mind bestowing immortality on us?"

"Well, um…" Rose said while her family laughed, "I'd love to but the Bad Wolf is a part of the TARDIS, at least I think it is, and the power was taken out of me by him," she said, pointing to the Doctor. "So I can't give you immortality, sorry."

"Trust me, pal, you don't wanna live forever," Jack said. "It sounds good on paper but when you're living it, it's a bitch. But if you need me to brave the dinos to get your research, I'll be happy to do it."

"And I'll go with you," Hope said.

"Oooohohoho no, you don't," the Doctor said. "You can't come back to life so you're staying at my side and helping me. Uncle Jack will be fine. Anyway, I must admit I've never met your species before so if you don't mind my asking, what is your species and where do you live?"

"We are Amphors from the planet Springwater. It's on the other side of the galaxy," Belock said. "We recently developed lightspeed travel so we've been visiting other planets in an effort to learn about them."

"And why are you still wearing your spacesuit?" the Doctor said. "Pangea has an atmosphere and the air is breathable."

"Yes, but this suit keeps my body moist," Belock said. "Our skin dries out easily plus I was disguising myself when I thought your brother might be hostile. Can't be too careful."

"Don't I know it," the Doctor said, nodding.

"Daddy!"

The Doctor turned and saw Hope pointing out the window.

"Dinosaur, Daddy, down there!"

Everyone walked up to the window and Hope turned back but when she looked down the dinosaur was gone.

"Hey! Come back, I want my family to see you," Hope said, putting her hands against the window.

Jack glanced at the pterodactyl that was still hanging off the roof.

"Boo!" he said to it.

Everyone laughed when the pterodactyl was unfazed. The Doctor put his hands on his daughter's shoulders and Rain came up beside him while she and everyone else looked out the window.

"Awww, it's gone," Hope said mournfully.

"Don't worry, baby, I'm sure we'll see it before too…"

"There it is!" Hope said, interrupting her as she pointed.

They looked down and Jack groaned when a T-Rex suddenly walked into a clearing.

"Great. Have to be one of those down there," Jack said.

"Remember, vision's based on movement. Jurassic Park, ya know," Alan said to him.

"Yes and I never thought I'd be living that movie. Still, I agreed to go and I'm going. Just point the way."

Belock nodded. He motioned for everyone to get close to him so they could teleport back underground. Once they were back underground, Belock led them to a control room where they found the other two members of the team. Belock informed Jack on what to look for and strapped a camera to his neck. The camera was a small one on a leather strap and Belock turned it on before telling him that they could also access ship cameras so they could watch him. Once he was finished, they teleported him up to the ship and everyone gathered around a large monitor to watch while Pelema worked the controls and switched between camera views. While they watched Jack warily approach the big metal black and white space shuttle, the Doctor felt Hope tug on his hand and he looked down at her.

"I'm having fun," she said.

"Me too. Always nice to land somewhere different. Keeps time travel interesting for me," he said, laying his hand on her hair. "If I saw everything in the universe, I wouldn't want to travel."

"I'm glad I'm your daughter so I can travel with you and Mummy and everyone else," Hope said.

The Doctor grinned from ear to ear and bent over to kiss the top of her head. He went back to watching the screen while Hope walked over to Rose. She was standing beside Rain while Alan stood behind her, rubbing her back while she watched the screen. Alan showed Hope his index finger when she reached Rose's side.

"I had an owie here but Rose kissed the owie and made it better," he said.

"So?" Hope said.

"So…I had an owie and Rose kissed the owie and made it better," Alan said smugly.

"Good for you. Go away now."

Rose laughed when Alan's mouth dropped open.

"Fine, see if I give you any more love and smiles and sunshine sunny hugs," he said with a sniff.

Hope stared at him for a moment and then tugged on Rose's shirt hem. Rose looked at her.

"How do you put up with him?" Hope asked, pointing to Alan.

Alan's mouth fell open again as his family members laughed. Rose put an arm around her niece.

"Well, it takes a lot of valium, a fair amount of alcohol and earplugs but I've also learned to live with him over the past few centuries," she said.

"Heh, heh, heh, yeah, that's funny, Rose," Alan said while everyone laughed. "See if I give you anymore snugglebumpkins."

"That's okay, I'll get snugglebumpkins from my niece," Rose said, squeezing her around the middle.

Everyone's attention was turned back towards the monitor when Jack suddenly let out a loud yelp. He was coming back out of the spaceship with the discs when a pack of velociraptors surrounded him and began to close in.

"Um…about that whole dying thing, I have a feeling that could become a real possibility now," Jack said to the camera behind him as the raptors closed in.


	199. Chapter 199

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety Nine

(In the Doctor's distant future)

"Right, whoever is in my spot better move or it will be wet willies for the lot of you," Adam said while coming down the stairs and sat down on the couch. Liam crawled onto his lap as Alan poked Adam in the leg and he looked down at Alan. "Ah, Master Timelord, can you tell the class where I left off?"

"Yes, Head Master," Alan said as he stood up and placed his hands behind his back. "Doctor Merman and his crew, including the awesome Alan of Seaweed, were on a quest to find the stolen, jewel crested seahorse for the icky Princess…"

"Oi, no editing," Rain said as the others laughed and Alan stuck his tongue out at her.

"As I was saying, they were going to look for the seahorse and were riding on the back of Loch, the wonder water horse," Alan said then sat down and Adam patted his head.

"That was very good. High marks," Adam said and Alan beamed.

"So what happened next?" Angel asked, snuggling against Frazer and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Carp!" Alan of Seaweed shouted then dead punched Doctor Merman's shoulder and Doctor Merman grumbled, rubbing his sore shoulder. Alan of Seaweed had been calling out names of the fish he saw while Loch moved through the water then punched Doctor Merman's shoulder while pointing at the fish.

"Want me tae put him tae sleep?" Frazerwick asked as he slid the gnarled wand out of his robe and pointed it at Alan of Seaweed.

"Isn't that a bit drastic?" Rose Coral asked and Frazerwick softly giggled.

"I mean do you want me tae knock him out?"

"Yes please," Doctor Merman said with a nod of his head and Frazerwick waved the gnarled wand around in a small circle and a violet light flared in his eyes. Alan of Seaweed's eyes went wide as a nightcap appeared on his head and a blue stuffed turtle was tucked under his right arm.

"Nighty night," Alan of Seaweed said then slid onto the soft skin and stuck his thumb in his mouth, going to sleep. Doctor Merman smiled then high fived Frazerwick and Frazerwick placed the gnarled wand back in his robe.

"Now, where did that shadow go?" Doctor Merman said when Rose Coral looked up and slowly pointed toward the large, black shadow floating overhead. "Ah, there it is!"

"Are you sure that we should...?" Princess Rain Shower asked when the large, black shadow came closer and Loch roared, tossing its head back. Princess Rain Shower held tightly onto Doctor Merman's arm as the darkness covered them and Doctor Merman's hearts slammed in his chest.

"Hello? Is there anyone in there?" a voice asked when Doctor Merman blinked his eyes opened and looked up at the face looking down at him. Blinking his eyes a few times, he watched the face growing clearer and…

"Hold it, that's Jack!" Alan said as Adam smiled at him and closed his eyes, pulling Jack's mind forward.

"_Captain, would you like tae come over an' be a part of a story that I'm telling my grandkiddies?" _Adam thought.

"_Sure, nothing much's going on over here. Do you want me to bring the others?" _Jack thought.

"_Aye, but bring your own food. I am nae going tae feed the whole neighborhood!" _Adam thought and Jack laughed, moving away. A few minutes later Jack and the rest of Torchwood were sitting around the living room while Adam recapped his story then closed his eyes, setting up a privacy block.

Captain Jack Harkfish was a tall merman with stunning good looks, a dazzling smile and his tail shimmered in bright red, orange and yellow scales. He wore a billowing tan jacket and a sword dangled from the gold belt around his waist.

"Who are you?" Doctor Merman asked as Captain Jack smiled at him and folded his arms over his chest.

"I am Captain Jack Harkfish, the scourge of the seas," Captain Jack said and Doctor Merman arched an eyebrow at him, nodding his head.

"And what is this?" Doctor Merman asked as he carefully sat up and looked around the room. The walls and ceiling looked like it had been carved from pearls and the floor was the tops of clam shells.

"This is my ship, The Perchwood," Captain Jack said with pride and Doctor Merman nodded, floating off the bed of coral he was lying on.

"Where are my friends?" he asked as Captain Jack nodded his head toward the seashell door and they floated toward the seashell door, leaving the room. Doctor Merman saw that the hallways and flooring were made of seashells and pearls and the coral portholes showed the sea outside. Peering out of the window, Doctor Mermaid was surprised by the size of the Perchwood then understood by the shadow was so large. The Perchwood was tied to the back of a large whale and Captain Jack joined him at the porthole and smiled.

"Pretty clever, eh?" he asked and Doctor Merman nodded his head.

"My friends?" he asked and Captain Jack nodded his head then pointed down the hallway. Going down the hallway, Captain Jack led Doctor Merman into a room with pink coral walls and flooring and Princess Rain Shower was sleeping inside half a clam shell. Her hair was spread out on the pillow as Doctor Merman floated closer and sat next to her.

"Latara?" he softly whispered when he moved closer and gently kissed her cheek. Princess Rain Shower sighed as she stretched her arms over head and opened her eyes, smiling up at him.

"Did you find the…?" she asked as he gently placed his hand over her mouth and she glared at him. He pointed at Captain Jack as Captain Jack floated closer and smiled, brushing some hair from his eyes.

"Well, hello, I'm Captain Jack Harkfish. Who are you, Pretty Sea Stuff?" he asked and Princess Rain Shower growled behind Doctor Merman's hand.

"Behave," Doctor Merman said, wagging a finger at him.

"I was just saying hello," he said and Doctor Merman sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I am PRINCESS Rain Shower!" Princess Rain Shower said after Doctor Merman removed his hand and she sat up, folding her arms over her chest.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Your Highness," Captain Jack said with a bow and Princess Rain Shower snorted, turning her head away.

"Where are the others?" she demanded and Doctor Merman helped her out of the clam shell.

"This way," Captain Jack said as they left the room and went down the hallway. They stopped short when the door to the room to their left exploded off the hinges and slammed into the wall. Smoke rolled out of the room as they peeked inside and saw Frazerwick floated off the floor. His eyes were black as his head blew around his head and tiny, blue veins crept up his neck and along his face. The gnarled wand was glowing in a green light while he breathed hard and fast through his nose and Captain Jack looked at Doctor Merman. "Who is that?"

"That is one ticked off merwizard," Doctor Merman said as he floated toward Frazerwick and Frazerwick glared at him. "Frazerwick, it's alright. No one is going to hurt you."

"Where is Loch?" Frazerwick said in an inhuman voice and his hat bobbed up and down, trying to get onto his head. Doctor Merman took the hat in his hands when he looked at Angel Fish and she peeked out at Frazerwick then ducked back into the hat. "WHERE IS MY WATER HORSE?"

"Easy, Mate, your transport is safe," Captain Jack said as he floated closer but didn't have time to move when Frazerwick roared and a green light soared out of the gnarled wand, hitting Captain Jack in the chest. Captain Jack slammed into the wall then slid down the wall and Doctor Merman growled, looking at Frazerwick.

"What have you done?" he demanded and Frazerwick blinked his eyes a few times, calming down. His eyes changed back to their usual hazel color and the tiny, blue lines vanished from his face and neck. Doctor Merman handed him his hat back as Frazerwick placed the hat on his head and floated toward Captain Jack. Frazerwick examined Captain Jack then frowned and wrapped his arms around his body, slightly shaking in fear.

"He's dead," Frazerwick whispered as Princess Rain Shower gasped and Doctor Merman floated to her, placing an arm around her.

"What do we do now?" she whispered when Rose Coral and Alan of Seaweed appeared in the doorway and Doctor Merman looked at them.

"What's going on? One minute I'm playing Punch A Fish then the next I wake up in this cool room with my Sweetie Fins sleeping next to me," Alan of Seaweed asked as he floated toward Doctor Merman and looked down at Captain Jack. "Who's that?"

"That was our host before he killed him!" Princess Rain Shower said, pointing at Frazerwick and Frazerwick sighed, looking down at the floor. He blinked his eyes a few times because he thought he saw Captain Jack smiling when Captain Jack's eyes snapped opened and Frazerwick screamed.

"Whoa, note to self, don't make the merwizard with attitude mad," Captain Jack teased as he sat up and Princess Rain Shower and Rose Coral hid behind Doctor Merman and Alan of Seaweed.

"But…but…but…" Doctor Merman said and Captain Jack smiled, brushing the hair from his eyes.

"I know. I was dead," Captain Jack said then sighed, looking at the floor. "I'm immortal."

"How did that happen?" Alan of Seaweed asked.

"Well, if you will join me on the bridge, I'll tell you," Captain Jack said as he pointed to the door and they headed for the door, leaving the room.


	200. Chapter 200

Chapter Two Hundred

"Mummy, is Uncle Jack going to be okay?" Hope asked her mother while they watched Jack on the monitor.

"Um…I hope so but just in case when I tell you to, turn around and close your eyes," Rain said to her.

The Doctor watched while the raptors advanced towards Jack. Jack whipped out his sonic screwdriver and held it above his head. He turned it on and the raptors chattered while they stepped back but they didn't run away, merely stood around, chittering angrily while they waited for Jack to stop. The Doctor had a feeling the moment Jack stopped; the enraged raptors would pounce on him. He suddenly had an idea and looked at Rain.

"Latara, let me borrow your screwdriver," he said, holding his hand out.

Rain handed it to him and the Doctor told Belock to teleport him to the ship. Belock was hesitant at first but finally he and the others complied when the Doctor insisted.

"Where's Daddy goin', Mummy?" Hope asked her mother as the Doctor ran for the teleport platform.

"He's going to go help Uncle Jack before he gets eaten, baby," Rain said.

They watched the monitor and saw a flash as the Doctor joined Jack several feet outside the ring of dinosaurs. The raptors hissed at him in shock but they still kept near their prey and began to eye the newcomer hungrily. The Doctor held the tips of his and Rain's screwdrivers together and warned Jack to cover his ears. Jack covered his ears seconds before the Doctor turned on both screwdrivers. Everyone in the control room winced at the deafening sound and watched while the frightened raptors finally scurried away.

"Thanks, Doc. Now I don't have to add eaten by velociraptors to my list of deaths," Jack said.

"Yeah, well, I didn't want Hope or anyone else watch while you became dino dinner," the Doctor said, patting him on the shoulder when Jack walked up.

He told Belock to bring them back and a few minutes later, the Doctor and Jack joined the others in the control room. Jack handed the discs to Belock.

"Hope those discs were worth the risks to my brother's life," the Doctor said to Belock.

"They are and I apologize for sending him out without thoroughly checking the area. I'm glad you're both safe," he said to the Doctor while he handed Rain's screwdriver back to her.

"Well, if we're finished here, I'd like to get going. We weren't supposed to come here in the first place, we got knocked off course."

"We were going shopping," Hope said.

"Before you do that, would you like to see our home?" Belock asked. "You may not have heard of me and my people, Doctor, but we know about you and you are revered among my tribe. I'm the son of the chief of the Pondhopper Clan and I know he'd like to meet you and honor you and Jack for your bravery today."

"Well…I…suppose I could," the Doctor finally said. "Although there's no need to honor us for doing something we wanted to do."

"I understand but we also wish to honor you for all that you've done in the universe and all the good deeds you have done. Please come and meet our people."

The Doctor nodded and waited until Belock walked away before he let out a sigh of resignation and looked at Rain.

"I'd rather just shop but I want to be polite," he said to her. "Besides, I do want to see their home world so I'll just think of it as a diversion to see a new planet rather than a big hullabaloo to honor me."

"Are we going shopping, Daddy?" Hope asked him.

"Soon. We have to do this first, okay?"

Hope nodded and he patted her on the head before he and Rain took her hands. When everyone was ready, Pelema teleported them back up to the path and they walked to the TARDIS. The Amphors stood inside the TARDIS and stared at the interior in a stunned silence while the Doctor shut the door and the others walked around them. Hope stopped beside them.

"This is our home…" she said to them. "Well, sometimes it's our home. We have a proper home but this is our home as well."

"It's incredible," Belock said as they moved forward with Hope to the console. "We've heard stories of the Time Lord's time ships but this is beyond imagination. Our species have only just mastered technology but this puts our efforts to shame."

"Nah, don't say that. Everyone has to start at the beginning, even the Time Lords," the Doctor said. "Now, I'll just have the TARDIS search for the coordinates and all of you can go home."

The TARDIS landed several minutes later and the Doctor powered down. He informed the Amphors that they were home and everyone walked to the door. Opening it, they saw a modern looking city with buildings made of mud brick with glass houses. When they walked outside, Rain grimaced when she realized it was incredibly hot and humid.

"Ugh, this is a bit uncomfortable but I suppose if they're frogs they need the humidity," she murmured to herself.

"Talking to oneself is the first sign of insanity."

Rain turned to see Alan behind her.

"Shall we put a straitjacket on ya?" he added.

"No, I'll save that for you," Rain said.

"Interesting city," Alan said, coming up beside her and putting his hands behind his back. "Very cosmopolitan for a bunch of frogs."

"Yeah, but I thought they said tribe and Belock's father was the chief. I was expecting something a bit more primitive."

"That would be out in the forests."

They turned and saw Belock behind them.

"This…is the modern face of Springwater. This is fairly new. Most Amphors still live in the forests and swamps in tribes. I came here because we work for a man who makes his home here but our true home is out near Kapuchan swamp and I can direct you to that as soon as I deliver the information to my employer so if you'd be kind enough to wait here, I'll be right back."

Everyone nodded and the three Amphors hurried away. They returned twenty minutes later wearing a thin black rubbery one piece suit similar to what divers wore. They went back into the TARDIS and Belock gave the location of his village. The TARDIS found the location and took them there. When they stepped outside, they were in the middle of a swampy area. Hope reeled back when she came out the door at the foul stench in the air.

"Hey, it stinks here," Hope said, pinching her nose.

"Hope, did you fart again? How many times must we tell you not to let one rip in public?" Alan said, poking her on the top of the head. "Farty Fartblossom let one rip."

"I did not, you did it!" Hope said with a giggle.

"Me? I never fart. But you, on the other hand, must have eaten a passel of rotten eggs because that's what the air smells like. Farty Moo Moo."

"Why does the air smell?" Hope asked him.

"I told ya, you let one rip."

"I'm being serious."

"So am I, Farty Moo Moo, quit farting."

Hope giggled when he tickled her ribs and gave her a kiss on the top of the head.

"In serious answer to your question, I expect the plant life is decaying and that's giving off the sulphury smell around us," he said.

"Can't they do anything about it?" Hope said.

"Well, they could burn the planet and get rid of every plant but apart from that, no. So I suppose you'll have to get used to it in time."

"I don't think I will," Hope said, walking over to her mother.

She took her mother's hand and Rain smiled down at her as they followed the Amphors along a narrow dirt path beside a large murky swamp. They heard crickets chirping and saw dragonflies whizzing around.

"It smells, Mummy," Hope said to Rain.

"I know, baby, you'll get used to it eventually, trust me," Rain said. "I can smell it too. It's just decaying plant matter."

"Or…Hope let one rip," Alan said behind them.

"I did not!" Hope said, giggling while Rain smiled and shook her head.

The Amphors led them down the path through several swamps that bordered the path along either side of them. Finally, they reached the village. The houses were made of mud with grass roofs. The houses were built around a huge dirt plaza that had several wooden posts ringing the outside of it. Belock motioned them to come inside and several other Amphors came out of their houses to stare at them as they walked past. Most of them were naked or clad in loincloths. Very small children hopped up, getting within a few feet of them so they could watch. The Doctor and his family smiled at them as they walked. Belock led them to a house that was larger than the rest.

"Wait here and I'll tell them who you are," Belock said to them.

They nodded and waited outside, smiling at the curious villages who were now making a half circle around them while they stared with their large bug eyes. Then Belock came outside the arched door that was covered by a woven straw mat.

"Come inside, he wishes to speak to you," he said, raising the mat higher.


	201. Chapter 201

Chapter Two Hundred and One

(In the Doctor's distant future)

"Where is Loch, Papaw?" Clara asked while sipping on some hot chocolate and Adam smiled, ruffling her hair.

"He's in the hold of the Perchwood," he said and she nodded.

"I don't get why Frazerwick got so mad," Alan said and Frazer smiled, rolling his eyes.

"How would you like it if you woke up an' couldnae find that wee rat dog of yours?" he asked and Alan's eyes turned sad while thinking about Speck, his tea cup chihuachua. He knew that it had been centuries since Speck had died but it still hurt his hearts that she was gone and Alan sniffed, wiping a tear from his eyes.

"I miss my little chewie woowie," he sighed and Adam rolled his eyes, setting up a privacy block.

After going down into the hold and Frazerwick saw that Loch was safe and sound, Captain Jack led them to the bridge and opened the door, leading them into the room. The walls of the room where made from coral and pearls with a large window at the back and the floor was made of clam shells. Several merpeople were standing near the window as they used long, coral poles to poke the whale and the room gently rocked side to side.

"This is my crew," Captain Jack said as they walked closer and he tapped the back of the tall merman with a tail of blue and green scales and he turned, looking at Captain Jack.

"Man, it has been a long time since I looked like that," Ianto said as he snuggled next to Jack and Jack gently kissed Ianto's cheek. Ianto was on his fourth life and had olive skin, deep brown eyes and black hair. His face had sharp features and a gold ear ring dangled from his right earlobe.

"Yeah, I wish I still looked like that," Gwen said as she sighed and Rhys kissed her cheek.

"No matter what face you wear, Love, you're still my girl," Rhys said and Gwen blushed. She stopped blushed as she glared at Alan, Jack and Adam while they made kissy lips at her and she sighed, rolling her eyes. Gwen was on her third life and had a round face, long white hair and green eyes. Rhys was still on his first life and he attributed it to the fact that he didn't spend his time fighting monsters and aliens.

"And I appear to be female in this story," Jake said and Nigel nudged him. Jake was on his fifth life and they were surprised to find out that he switches between being a Time Lord or a Time Lady, depending on what life he is on. Nigel was on his fourth life and was a tall man with blonde spiked hair and blue eyes. He also spoke with an Irish accent and had boyish looks with tiny freckles dotting the bridge of his nose.

"Can we get back to the story?" Donna asked and Adam winked at her with a smile on his face.

"Are we on course?" Captain Jack asked.

"Aye, aye Sir," Ianto said and Captain Jack nodded, looking back at the others.

"This way," Captain Jack said as he floated toward the hatch door made of coral that was in the floor and he opened the hatch, floating down to the next level. Looking into the hatchway, Alan of Seaweed shrugged then floated over the hatchway and smiled.

"Geronimo!" he shouted then disappeared and Doctor Merman sighed, shaking his head. Captain Jack waited near the pearl door when the others floated toward him and he smiled, opening the door. He did a little bow as Rose Coral and Princess Rain Shower went in the room and Rose Coral smiled, sticking the tip of her tongue between her teeth.

"Oi, what's with the flirting?" Alan asked as his head appeared above them and Captain Jack looked up, frowning.

"She wasn't flirting," Rose said as her head appeared next to Alan's head and he yelped as she pulled on his ear, vanishing.

"Uh…." Captain Jack said while pointing up to where Alan and Rose's head were and Doctor Merman sighed, placing his hand on the small of Captain Jack's back.

"Just ignore them," he said as they went into the room and Captain Jack closed the door behind them. The room had mother of pearl walls and ceiling and shells for flooring and a large porthole was at the back of the room. A large coral table sat at the center of the room and several scrolls made of seaweed were sitting on the table. Princess Rain Shower was near the table when Captain Jack floated to the table and the others followed, floating next to him.

"Well, how did you become immortal?" Princess Rain Shower asked, looking at him.

"Ah, that is s great story," Captain Jack said and floated toward the large porthole, looking out at the bubbles slowly floating by. "It happened a long time ago when I was just starting out as a sea agent."

"What is a sea agent?" Angel Fish whispered while she sat on Frazerwick's shoulder and he shrugged a shoulder.

"What is a sea agent?" Rose Coral asked and Captain Jack smiled, turning back to look at them.

"I worked for the Sea Agency, which deals with keeping the oceans safe from things that shouldn't exist," he said and Doctor Merman shrugged while Alan of Seaweed looked at him with a confused look on his face. "It was while I was working on this case, which I can't talk about, that I encountered this powerful source called….the Bad Wharf."

"Oh come on!" Alan said as he tossed some popcorn at Adam and Rose smiled, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "Can't you be more original than that?"

"Hey, I like it!" the Doctor said and Adam smiled then cupped his left hand with his right hand and flipped Alan off.

"I have heard of it. It's located in the northern territory," Doctor Merman said as he floated closer and looked at the scrolls on the table. "What were you doing there?"

"I told you. It's classified," Captain Jack said as he floated toward the table and Doctor Merman nodded his head. "So, there I was, looking at the most powerful thing in the known oceans, and got hit with this bright white light. I thought I was good as dead, but here I am."

"How did you ken that you were immortal?" Frazerwick asked.

"Ah, well, I was working on this other case, which I can't talk about, and someone impaled me with a triton. I died but you should have seen their faces when I woke up and pulled the triton out of my chest. After that, I found out that I couldn't die and have been traveling the oceans ever since."

"What happens if you get eaten by a shark?" Alan of Seaweed asked.

"I would end up as immortal shark poop."

"Ew!" the children said at the same time when Adam looked at Alan and Alan doubled over laughing after Adam set up a privacy block and sent the image of a cartoon great white shark eating Captain Jack then a warm pile of Captain Jack poop lying on the sand and the cartoon eyes blinked.

"What did you show him?" Rain asked while Alan calmed down and Adam looked at her with a slightly stunned look on his face.

"I dinnae do anything," he said when Frazer and Angel started laughing and Alan winked at him.

"Then what are they laughing at?" the Doctor asked.

"How should I ken?" Adam said with wide eyes then yelped when Donna came up behind him and slapped the back of his head.

"That was disgusting," she said as he looked at Alan and Alan smiled, shrugging. "He showed Alan what Jack would look like as shark poop."

"Adam David Storm!" Rain said, looking shocked.

"Can we see?" Liam asked.

"NO!" the Doctor, Adam and Alan said at the same time and Liam pouted, folding his arms over his chest.

"So where are you headed?" Captain Jack asked when Doctor Merman took the scroll off his belt and placed the scroll on the table. Captain Jack used small shells on the corners of the scroll when he looked at the map and moved his finger on the scroll. "Ah, it seems that we're both heading in the same direction. The only problem is we have to cross over her territory," Captain Jack said and Alan of Seaweed looked over Captain Jack's shoulder and looked at the scroll.

"Who are you talking about?" he asked.

"I am talking about Donnaella," he said and they looked at each other with stunned looks on their faces.

"Now hold on, I thought you said that I wasn't going to be her in this story," Donna said as she glared at Adam and he smiled at her, patting the top of her hand.

"An' you're nae going tae be her," he said and she arched her eyebrow.

"But you just mentioned her."

"Aye, but that doesnae mean that she's going tae make an appearance. So, if you will sit down, I will tell you what happens next," he said when Alan got up and headed for the stairs. "Where are you going?"

"I gotta use the loo," he said.

"Then go home an' use yours. I dinnae want tae go in there after you dropped some trouser chili," Adam said and Alan's eyes went wide.

"I will have you know that I haven't dropped trouser chili in years! And if we want to talk about stinky poop, I know not to feed you beans before a long trip in Daisy. The last time you let one rip, you nearly peeled the paint off the coral!" Alan said when Adam got up and walked to him, going face to face.

"Boys, do I have to call your mothers?" the Doctor asked as they looked at him and he placed his head on Rain's shoulder. Even though Clara and Delmari had died years ago, the Doctor knew the mere mention of them still frightened Adam and Alan and they coughed, looking at each other.

"I'll turn the fan on," Alan said as Adam nodded and Alan headed for the stairs, going upstairs.


	202. Chapter 202

Chapter Two Hundred and Two

(In the Doctor's distant future)

"Ok, where were we?" Alan said as he came down the stairs and sat on the floor, leaning against the couch.

"Did you wash your hands?" Rain asked as he crawled across the carpet then knelt on his knees, holding his hands to her face. "Hey, get those out of my face!"

"Not until you smell my sparkling clean hands!" he said and she sighed, sniffing his hands.

"Ok, they're clean. Now get out of my face!" she said and he wiggled his eyebrows up and down then crawled back to the couch, sitting down and leaned against the couch.

"Well?" Alan asked as he poked Adam in the leg and Adam pulled his legs up, folding one leg over the other and tucked his kilt around his legs. Half closing his eyes, Adam set up a privacy block and placed the back of his head on the back of the couch.

"Isn't Donnaella that sea witch we encountered while looking for the Staff of Power?" Alan of Seaweed asked.

"Yeah," Doctor Merman said then looked at Captain Jack. "Are you sure we have to go through her territory?"

"Well, it would take a few days, but we can go this way and avoid her territory all together," Captain Jack said as he moved his finger along the map and Doctor Merman nodded his head.

"Sounds like a good idea," Doctor Merman said when the room started shaking and they held onto the table while their tails swung back and forth. "What?"

"Hold on," Captain Jack said when he floated to the door and looked out into the hallway. Ianto floated toward him as he floated in front of Captain Jack and wiped some blood that was dripping from his nose. "What happened?"

"Sorry, Sir, but we're under attack," Ianto said as they headed for the bridge and floated toward the large window. Nigel helped Gwen off the floor while they looked out the large window and saw several figures covered in black and grey rocks with large white bumps on the rocks and the figures were slamming against the whale, causing it to buck up and down. On top of the heads of the figures was a long eyestalk and large suckers were wiggling on the figures' right fins.

"No, don't you dare call them what I think you're going to call them!" Rose said as Adam smiled at her and wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

"What are they?" Princess Rain Shower asked as she hid behind Doctor Merman and he sighed, pinching his eyes closed.

"Why, oh why, do I lose everything and they live?" he asked and they looked at him. "Those are my greatest enemies."

"You mean….?" Alan of Seaweed asked and Doctor Merman nodded his head.

"Yes, the Sharleks!" he said as dramatic music filled the air and they gasped.

Adam beamed as Alan, Jack, the children and the Doctor doubled over in laughter and Rose and Rain sighed, rolling their eyes. Settling down, the Doctor got up while Adam watched him walking closer and the Doctor hugged him then ruffled his hair.

"Don't ever lose that imagination of yours," he said then half limped back to where Rain was sitting and sat down. Adam placed his feet on the coffee table as he half closed his eyes and set up a privacy block.

"What are sharleks?" Ianto asked as he floated closer and stood next to Captain Jack.

"They are from the Sharko Ocean and they were breed to hate. They think that nothing in the known oceans is better than they are and go from ocean to ocean, killing everything that isn't Sharlek. My people tried to stop them but they lost and I am the only one left," Doctor Merman said then sighed and Princess Rain Shower wrapped her arms around him, hugging him. Alan of Seaweed threw himself on Doctor Merman as he cried and Doctor Merman sighed, reaching back and patted Alan of Seaweed's hair.

"How do we stop them?" Gwen asked while Doctor Mermaid floated back and forth and rubbed his chin with his fingers. He looked out the large window when he sailed to the coral door next to the large window and placed his hand on the door handle.

"Where are you going?" Princess Rain Shower asked as she floated to him and he sighed, placing his head against the door.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this," he sighed when Alan of Seaweed floated to him and gently pushed him out of the way.

"No, if someone had to take them out, it's going to be me!" he said as Doctor Merman looked stunned at him and Alan of Seaweed opened the door and went outside. They watched him heading toward the sharleks and the sharleks stopped slamming against the whale to look at him.

"Under the sea," Alan of Seaweed started singing while dancing and spun around in a circle while the sharleks watching him with confused looks on their faces. "Under the sea! It's just little, little ole me, under the sea! The sea is big and scary and I'm just a little fish. I better be mighty careful before I end up a big fish dish. Oh, I am a studly merman, on what we can all agree. I am the studliest thing that…is livin' here under the sea! Under the sea, under the sea, my bladder is full, gotta take a big pee, under the sea!"

"Is he trying to get himself killed?" Captain Jack asked and Doctor Merman smiled, brushing his fingers through his hair.

"No, what he is is brilliant!" he said and Captain Jack frowned.

"See, I had to pee, take a piddle, a piss, a wee wee…UNDER THE SEA!" Alan of Seaweed sang when he scrunched up his face and a large, green stream of pee sailed out of his tail. After the smell from the large, green stream of pee hit them, the sharleks' eyes went wide and Alan of Seaweed smiled, folding his arms over his chest. The sharleks quickly swam away as Alan of Seaweed howled while pumping his hand in the air and wiggled his tail side to side. "Yeah, and keep swimming unless you want some more!"

"Get back in here!" Doctor Merman shouted as Alan of Seaweed turned and floated back to the whale, going back inside. Captain Jack watched as Alan of Seaweed headed for Rose Coral and she wrapped her arms around Alan of Seaweed, kissing his lips.

"My hero!" she said as Alan of Seaweed blushed and his tail moved back and forth.

"Right, let's going then," Captain Jack said as the others went back to the large window and gently poked the whale with the coral poles. Doctor Merman floated toward Alan of Seaweed when he titled his head to one side and blinked his eyes a few times.

"Ok, mind telling me where all that came from?" he asked and Alan of Seaweed smiled, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"Well, seeing that we didn't stop for pee breaks, I just decided now was the best time to empty my bladder," he said.

"Just be happy that it worked or you might have been the one that ended up as shark poop."

Jack started laughing after Adam sent him an image of Alan of Seaweed getting eaten by a sharlek then ended up as a pile of poop and Alan looked up at Adam, tilting his head to one side.

"You didn't?" he asked and Adam nodded his head.

"Fair's fair, Alan," Jack said and Alan growled, flipping him off.

"Ok, enough with the shark poop," the Doctor said as they nodded and Adam set up a privacy block.

The days passed while the whale moved along and Doctor Merman looked at the map, moving his finger along the map. The whale had gone to the surface as they stood at the large window and all were stunned to see the sky for the first time. The sun was rising as the sky shimmered in pinks and purples and the clouds floated gently overhead. Captain Jack had provided them with helmets with backpacks that pumped water into the helmets while the whale floated across the surface of the water and Doctor Merman placed his arm around Princess Rain Shower's shoulders, placing his helmet against her helmet.

"So, where are we?" Alan of Seaweed asked as he floated closer and stood next to the table, looking at the map.

"We're here," Doctor Merman said as Alan of Seaweed nodded when the room shook a bit and they held onto the table. "Don't tell me that that sharleks are back."

"I hope not. I just went to the loo," Alan of Seaweed said as they left the room and headed for the bridge. Captain Jack stood at the large window while they floated closer and he sighed, turning around to face him. "What happened?"

"We seem to have arrived," he said as they looked at the large castle made of red, orange and yellow coral and Alan of Seaweed whistled, causing tiny bubbles to float out of his mouth. The castle had four large towers at the corners and a large shell for a drawbridge. The whale floated in front of the castle as they looked at Captain Jack and he ran his fingers through his hair then headed for the door. "Come on."

"I want you and Rose Coral to stay here," Doctor Merman said while looking at Princess Rain Shower but she frowned and placed her hands on her hips.

"No, I'm coming with you," she said.

"But we don't know what's out there," he said and she smiled, twirling some of her hair around her finger.

"All the more reason for us to come," she said with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, you might need our help," Rose Coral said and Alan of Seaweed's mouth fell open.

"Do not!" he said.

"Look, I don't care who's going and who's not, let's go!" Captain Jack said as they looked at him then shrugged and headed for the door, going outside and headed for the castle.

"Um, Papaw, can we stop, I have to pee," Clara said as Adam looked at the rest of the children and scratched an itch in the corner of his left eye.

"Does anyone else have to pee?" he asked and the children, Jack, Frazer, Ianto and Rain raised their hands. "Ok, anyone that has tae go, go."

They watched as the children, Jack, Frazer, Ianto and Rain got up then went upstairs and Alan got up, walked to where the Doctor was sitting and sat next to him, going face to face with him.

"May I help you?" the Doctor asked.

"Just trying to figure out why Doctor Mermaid didn't toss Alan of Seaweed out of the Perchwood after he sent the sharleks packing yet you strand me on that beach after what happened with the daleks," Alan said and breathed hard and fast through his nose.

"Because he didn't blow them up," the Doctor said.

"No, he just peed on them. Image the look on Davros' face if you had done that," Donna said and Alan growled, flipping her off.

"I still think he should have tossed him out," Alan said.

"Well, I'm not telling this story. He is," the Doctor said then smiled and pointed at Adam.

"An' I didnae do that because it would be mean of Doctor Merman tae strand him somewhere for peeing," Adam said and Alan nodded, walking back to the couch and sat on the floor.

"Well, hope they come back soon. I want to hear what happened next," Alan said and Adam smiled, patting him on the top of the head.


	203. Chapter 203

Chapter Two Hundred and Three

Hope held onto her mother's hand when they went inside. The inside was dimly lit by firelight and slightly smoky. Around the inside of the mud walls was several animal skins stitched together that provided insulation and was decorated with stick figures and stylized animals. There were several brown pillows spread around the fire that was burning in the center of the hut. The chief was sitting on a large pillow at the back. He was wearing a cape made out of palm leaves and a silver amulet with a frog on it that hung around his neck on a rawhide necklace. He wore no other clothes and his slightly bulging potbelly hung out as he stared at the newcomers in a fascinated silence. Next to him was a young female frog that was completely naked except for a pink pebble hanging around her neck on a similar rawhide necklace. Behind them and around the perimeter were baskets, mats and other artifacts. The chief looked at everyone and then motioned for them to sit. Hope sat down in between her parents while Alan and Rose sat on the Doctor's side and Jack sat beside Rose. Belock, Pelema and Terzac sat in between Jack and the young female frog. The chief looked from the Doctor to Alan and back.

"Which one is the Doctor?" he said in a deep, froggy voice.

"This one, my lord," Belock said, pointing to the Doctor.

"And this one is his clone?" the chief said, looking at Alan.

"Yes, I'm Alan," Alan replied.

"Fascinating," the chief said to the Doctor. "You had so much goodness within you that your body couldn't contain it so you had to make another vessel to hold it all."

Rain giggled at the surprised look on her husband's face. He looked at Alan who gave him a cheeky look and winked.

"Um…never thought of it like that but you might be right," the Doctor said.

He introduced the rest of his family. The chief nodded to each of them and when the Doctor was finished he introduced himself as Chief Swampdancer and the female as his daughter, Chloe. Some frogs appeared at Swampdancer's door and he waved to them. Several young frogs came inside bringing wooden plates of food and wooden goblets with some liquid in it and a long wooden pipe decorated with narrow leaves and feathers near the pipe's bowl. Swampdancer reached into a small wicker box beside him and pulled out a little bag. They watched while he put some tobacco in the pipe's bowl, tamped it down and lighted it with a bit of wood from the fire. He smoked it and inhaled deeply before he exhaled the sweet smelling tobacco into the air in front of him. He then passed it around and everyone else took one puff. When it got to the Doctor, he smoked it and when Hope reached for it, he shook his head and handed it to his wife.

"You're too young," the Doctor said when Hope gave him a confused look while Rain smoked the pipe and passed it back to Swampdancer.

Once they were done, Swampdancer ordered the food and drink to be passed out. The frogs gave the plate and goblets to everyone before they bowed and left the hut. Hope looked at the food on her plate. There was some kind of yellow fruit that was sliced into wedges, a small pile of meat that was sliced into small bits and…crickets. Hope made a face as she stared at the legless crickets. She looked at her father. The Doctor paused with a bit of meat halfway up to his lips and gave her a questioning look. Hope pointed to the crickets and made another disgusted face. The Doctor put the meat back down, picked up a cricket and Hope grimaced when he popped it in his mouth and chewed. When he swallowed it, he leaned over.

"Eat a bit of it. Be polite," he said softly to her.

"Daddy, it's bugs," Hope said softly.

"I know. They're not as bad as you think. If you want to be my Time Lady, you need to have an open mind and try new things. Just close your eyes and chew quickly and swallow. This is in our honor so you need to eat at least a little bit of it."

Hope nodded and the Doctor rubbed her back while she picked up a cricket. She stared at it for a moment willing herself to eat it. She glanced at her father and saw the encouraging nod and the loving look on his face and she knew she'd be brave for him and try the cricket. She hesitated a moment, put it to her lips and then quickly opened her mouth and popped it in. She bit down, expecting it to be all gross and gooey and found to her surprise that it had been fried and was crunchy and not that bad. She glanced at her father and saw the amused look on his face.

"So…how is it?" he asked her.

"It's good," Hope said after swallowing.

"See? Never be afraid to try new things because you might miss out on something wonderful," the Doctor said.

Hope nodded and the Doctor kissed her cheek before he went back to his meal. Hope followed his example and tried the shredded meat and fruit and liked all of it. She was pleased with herself that she had decided to be a brave Time Lady and try everything and make her father proud of her in the process. She felt more like a Time Lady now than she did when she first started eating. While she ate, Alan came over with a cricket in his fingers. He looked down at Hope's empty plate and sighed.

"Blast and botheration, I was hoping you didn't like the crickets so I could torment you with this one," Alan said. "Opportunity lost, I s'pose."

"Nope, my daughter did an excellent job," the Doctor said to him as Alan sat back down beside him. "I'm very proud of her."

Rain chuckled and they glanced at her. She pointed at her daughter and they saw the ecstatic look on her face.

"I think you made her day with that comment," Rain said to them.

"I'm a Time Lady, Mummy," Hope said to her. "See, Daddy's proud of me."

"See, you made her day," Rain said while Hope giggled.

The Doctor tousled her hair and winked at her. Everyone finished their meal and the frogs came back inside to take the plates and cups away. Once they were gone, Swampdancer turned his attention to the Doctor.

"So, Time Lord, won't you favor us with a story of one of your adventures?" he said. "My daughter and I would love to hear one."

Chloe nodded shyly and the Doctor thought for a moment. He decided to tell them the story of New Earth and the first time he and Rose went there. Hope listened quietly in an enraptured silence along with the frogs. Rain chuckled when she saw her daughter's eyes widen and she leaned forward in interest when the Doctor talked about the sisterhood. Hope looked at her mother.

"Cats. Big cats," Hope said to her mother in a hushed voice.

"Yup, cool, huh?" Rain said.

"I can't wait to be a Time Lady and travel with Daddy all the time," Hope said.

Rain grinned and gave her a kiss on the cheek before Hope turned her attention back to the story. Once they were finished, Hope applauded and the adults laughed while Swampdancer smiled and nodded.

"I agree with your daughter, a lovely story. I don't think I would have liked to see the cat nuns but it was wonderful all the same. My thanks to you."

The Doctor bowed his head and gave him thanks for that. They watched while Chloe leaned in and whispered in her father's ear. Swampdancer nodded and smiled before he slowly rose up.

"If you'll follow me, I'll arrange a tour of our village," he said to them. "And we will have dancing in your honor. Come."

They stood up and Swampdancer walked to the door. Once outside, he asked Belock, Pelema and Terzac to give them a tour. The three frogs nodded and motioned for the others to follow them. Swampdancer and Chloe watched them walk off and when they were out of earshot, Swampdancer summoned two frogs who were standing nearby. The frogs walked over and bowed to him, asking him what he wished.

"I need you to take Chloe and find some women who will help her prepare," Swampdancer said to them. "She's marrying the Doctor tonight after the dancing and she must look radiant enough for a Time Lord."


	204. Chapter 204

Chapter Two Hundred and Four

(In the Doctor's distant future)

"So, did everyone wash their hands?" Adam asked as Rain, Jack, Ianto, Frazer and the children came down the stairs and the children walked to Adam, holding their hands up. Rose giggled as Adam sniffed each hand then patted the children heads and the children smiled at him.

"My turn!" Jack said as he waved his hands in front of Adam's face and Adam laughed, sniffed Jack's hands and Jack looked over at Ianto, who was sniffing his own fingers. "No, Yan, he has to do it."

"If you say so," Ianto said as he walked to Adam and held his hands out.

"Is this going to take long? I want to get back to the story" Alan grumbled, but Adam just gave him a smug look and sniffed Ianto's hands.

"I see you even scrubbed your nails," Adam said and Ianto nodded, showing Jack his nails.

"Yep, Yan is proud of his clean, shiny nails," Jack said as Ianto blushed and Jack hugged him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Tell me that you're not going to smell Rainy Painy's hands. They're toxic!" Alan said while holding onto Adam's leg and Rain rolled her eyes.

"Out of the way, Farty Bottom!" she said as he got off the floor and stood in front of Adam, gently holding onto Rain's shoulders and locked eyes with her.

"No, I will not allow you to poison my dear brother! Besides, we share our feeling. I don't want to become sick after he smells those stinky hands of yours!" he said in reference of the empathic bond that a shaman cursed Alan and Adam with after Adam had accidentally lost his sunglasses and the shaman saw the cat eyes that he had in his third life. He also had pointy ears and the shaman thought Adam to be a demon. Both Adam and Alan were captured and were going to be thrown into a volcano but the Doctor stopped the shaman and the shaman placed his curse on Adam and Alan.

"Then I'll let my husband smell them," she said with a turn and lifted her chin, walking to the Doctor. She sat on his laps as he took her right hand and sniffed her hand.

"Ah, minty fresh!" he said then kissed her lips and the children giggled. Angel wiggled her finger at Frazer when he walked to her and knelt down in front of her, holding his hands out. She sniffed his hands then smiled and he got up, picked her up off the couch then sat down with her on his lap.

"Right, now where was I?" Adam asked when Clara climbed onto his lap and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Captain Jack was taking them to the castle," she said as he nodded and kissed the top of her head, setting up a privacy block.

The large castle rose before them as Captain Jack stood in front of the moat that was dug into the sand and they looked at the green, bubbling liquid in the moat.

"What is that?" Rose Coral asked as she pointed to the green, bubbling liquid and Doctor Merman took out his sonic screwdriver, scanning the green, bubbling liquid.

"It is corrosive algae," he said as Rose Coral's eyes went wide and Alan of Seaweed kicked a rock into the green, bubbling liquid with his fin. Watching the rock melting, he raised his eyebrows almost under his fringe and Princess Rain Shower looked at the melting rock then at Doctor Merman and tapped his shoulder.

"How do we get the drawbridge down?" she asked and Doctor Merman looked at the large shell when Frazerwick saw the conch shell hanging on the coral that was sticking out of the ground and he floated closer, taking the conch shell off the coral. The conch shell was a bright pink color with a seaweed cord threaded through it and he examined it until he found where someone would blow into the conch shell and held the conch shell to his lips. A low bleating sound came from the conch shell while bubbles floated upward and they looked at him. Frazerwick blew on the conch shell again when a light brown hair merman appeared at the window to the right of the large shell and placed his hands on the window sill.

"Isn't that your dad?" Angel asked as Frazer nodded and she placed her head on his shoulder.

Jamie was on his sixth life and all of them were shocked to learn that Jamie, like all the Jennies, kept his original body and only regenerated on the inside. No one could figure out why Jamie and the Jennies couldn't change but Jamie and the Jennies didn't seemed to mind and enjoyed still having their original forms

"Och, who is making such a racket?" the merman asked when Doctor Merman floated forward and the merman looked at him. "Who are you?"

"I am Doctor Merman. May I ask whose castle this is?" he asked.

"This is the castle of the Great Seer," the merman said and Alan of Seaweed smiled, leaning his head toward Rose Coral.

"If they were a great seer then they would have seen us coming," he whispered then grunted as Rose Coral poked her elbow into his ribs and he glared at her.

"And you are?" Doctor Merman asked and the merman smiled.

"I am Jamie Highwater, the captain of the guard," Jamie said and Doctor Merman nodded his head.

"We wish to have words with the Seer, if that is allowed," Doctor Merman said as Jamie moved away from the window and they looked at Doctor Merman. "I guess he went to ask if it was ok."

"And if he went to load a sea cow onto a catapult and launch us at us?" Alan of Seaweed asked.

"Where do you come up with this stuff?" Captain Jack asked when the large shell slowly lowered itself over the moat and Jamie floated closer. His tail was covered in red and green scales and a small dagger was tucked in the belt around his waist.

"The Seer will see you," he said as they followed him toward the castle and the large shell closed behind them after they went inside. The red, yellow and orange coral sparkled around them as they headed down the hallway and Jamie stood in front of the large pearl doors, turning to the others. "Prepare yourselves. The Seer is behind these doors."

"I certainly hope so," Alan of Seaweed whispered then grunted when Rose Coral poked him in the ribs with her elbow again and he frowned. Jamie opened the doors as they floated inside the room and were shocked to see the only light came from a glowing blue pool. The walls were made from mother of pearl with large pearl columns around the pool and the floor was made from turtle shells. Jamie led them to the pool as the blue light bathed them when the sound of horns blared and someone floated down from the ceiling. The figure was female with long red hair and the blue light shimmered off the silver scales of her tail and the white fins rippled back and forth. Her large breasts stuck out of the top of the white tunic she wore as Alan of Seaweed and Frazerwick's mouths fell open but Alan of Seaweed got out of the way before Rose Coral could poke him in the ribs again. They watched as the Seer floated slightly above them when she looked at Doctor Merman and smiled.

"Greeting, Doctor," the Seer said with a sweet sounding voice and he moved closer, bowing toward her.

"Whom do I have the pleasure in addressing?" he asked as she arched her eyebrows and smiled at his request.

"I am Nobella," she said and he nodded his head then turned to…

"Hold it!" Donna shouted as they looked at her and she stood up, walked to the couch and wiggled her finger for Adam to stand up. Placing Clara on the couch, Adam stood up when Donna walked closer then hugged him and Adam softly grunted. Kissing her cheek, he moved back as she held his hands and swung them back and forth. "Thanks, Red."

"Well, I never did like the fact you ended up being the baddie in the last story," he said and she laughed.

"Yeah, I wasn't that happy about it either," she said then let go of his hands and walked back to the couch, sitting down. "Right, sit down and tell us what happened next."

"As you wish," he said with a bow and Donna laughed, rolling her eyes. Adam sat down as Clara crawled onto his lap and he placed his arms around her then set up a privacy block.

"I am Nobella," she said and he nodded his head then turned to the others and pointed to Captain Jack.

"This is Captain Jack Harkfish of the Perchwood," he said and Nobella nodded her head toward Captain Jack, who smiled and gave her a wink. "Behave!"

"I was just…" Captain Jack said and Doctor Merman sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, yes, we all know what you were doing," he said then introduced the others and Nobella gently smiled at them. "Now, the reason we're here…"

"I know why you are here. You are looking for King Neptune's seahorse."

"Yes, do you have any idea what dangers lie ahead?"

"I do, and you will need some help or you will never survive them," she said as they looked at her and she looked over at Jamie, who was floating quietly near the pool. "I need my royal treasure hunter."

"Aye, I will go fetch him," Jamie said as he left the room and they looked at Nobella.

"Who is this royal treasure hunter?" Doctor Merman asked when the Indiana Jones theme music blared in the room and they turned, looking at the doors. The doors opened when a merman floated into the room and their eyes went wide. The merman was tall with a tail of blue and green scales and a bullwhip hung across his chest. A fedora of seaweed was perched on his head as the rim of the fedora hung over his eyes and he used one finger to lift the fedora up.

"Did you miss me?" Adamana Starfish asked with a smile and titled his head to one side.


	205. Chapter 205

Chapter Two Hundred and Five

"Gitchee goo!"

"Daddy, make Uncle Alan stop," Hope said while she walked beside him.

Alan was behind her and every few steps he would stick his finger in her armpit and say gitchee goo in an exuberant voice. The Doctor eyed his brother while Alan gave him an innocent look.

"Being a pest again, Brother?" the Doctor asked.

"Not at all. Just playing the gitchee goo game with my favorite niece," Alan said. "She must not mind too much, she hasn't moved away from me. So I'll continue to gitchee goo her as long as she's in front of me and…"

"Gitchee goo!"

Rose, who was walking beside Alan, laughed when Jack, who was behind Alan, stuck his finger in Alan's armpit and said gitchee goo in a high-pitched voice. Alan looked back at him.

"Gee, you're not moving away, must not mind it too much," Jack said to him.

Alan stopped for a moment, let Jack catch up to him and putting his arms behind his back walked by his side. Jack gave him a wary look.

"Okay, what are you planning?" Jack asked.

"Revenge, it will come and come swiftly when you least expect it," Alan said airily.

"Geez, Blondie, how you put up with him is beyond me," Jack said while Rose and Rain giggled. "If Ianto was like this, I would have chucked him out the door long ago."

Belock led them to a large hut deep in the forest. The hut was in the middle of a clearing and to the Doctor's amazement was far bigger than Swampdancer's hut.

"Who lives here?" the Doctor said, pointing to it. "I thought Swampdancer was the head honcho and had the biggest house."

"He does have the biggest house. But this is our hatchery where all our young stay until they get their full frog bodies. Come inside."

They entered the hut. Most of the interior was a huge pool of water where large tadpoles swum around. Unlike Earth tadpoles, the babies were one and two feet in length. Around the pool, several female frogs were feeding and caring for the babies. Everyone walked up to the rim as the frogs smiled and got out of their way. Hope walked up to the edge of the pond and looked down in a fascinated silence while the jet black tadpoles swam around. Rain walked up beside her and Hope pointed down at them.

"Look, babies," Hope said.

"Yup, those are tadpoles," Rain said.

The Doctor came up behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Actually, they're called pollywogs," he said to her.

"Actually, they're called tadpoles," Rain said.

"Nope, they're called pollywogs," the Doctor said.

"Nope, they're called tadpoles," Rain said while Hope giggled.

"Pollywogs," the Doctor insisted.

"Tadpoles," Rain said.

"Pollywogs."

"Tadpoles."

"Polywogs."

"Tadpoles."

"Polywogs!"

"Okay, wait," Rain said, holding up her hand. "Let's compromise and call them Tadwogs."

The Doctor considered that and then moved over to Hope. He bent down and put his chin on her shoulder.

"Look at the tadwogs swimming down there, aren't they magnificent?" he said, pointing, while Rain chuckled.

"Yes. I like the tadwogs," Hope said.

"Actually," Alan said, walking up, bending over and resting his chin on Hope's other shoulder. "You could call them polypoles, you know."

"Nah, I like tadwogs better," the Doctor said.

Alan looked at Hope.

"Hey, air still smells, quit farting," he said to her.

"That's you!" Hope said, poking his nose. "You farted."

"Not me, when I fart it's flowery sweet," Alan said.

"Hey!" Hope said.

"What happened? Did you fart again?" Alan said while the Doctor laughed.

"No, look, that one has little legs," she said, pointing to a tadpole swimming around in front of them.

"Ah, that's what happens," the Doctor said to her. "See, they start out with no arms or legs and they slowly grow them and lose the tail and become froggy frogs."

"How long does it take them to grow?" Rain asked Belock when he came up beside her.

"About a year," Belock replied. "After that, they leave the hatchery and return to their parent's huts."

"Okay, but how can you tell them apart?" Jack said, coming up beside him. "I mean, I'm assuming this is a communal hatchery so how do you tell which child belongs to which family?"

Belock reached down and grabbed a tadpole. He held it up and showed them the underside while the tadpole tried to wriggle out of his hands. On the underside of it was a small white strip of paper with alien writing on it.

"This is an identification tag. The paper and ink are waterproof and the name of the family and date of birth are written here. When they're ready to come out, we look at the tag and then notify the parents."

Belock put the tadpole back in the water and it quickly swam away.

"And…where are the eggs at?" Jack asked. "They hatch from eggs right?"

"Correct. The eggs are in another tank below this one," Belock said. "There is a grate in the bottom of the tank and a thin strip of waterproofed wood separates the two. When the eggs hatch, the babies are small enough that they can swim up through the gate and join the others."

"And they don't eat each other?" Rain asked.

"No, we keep them well fed so they won't do that," Belock said, pointing to the female frogs that were still dispensing food to the tadpoles. "The nursemaids also keep an eye on the babies and make sure they're not fighting with each other."

The Doctor was listening to Belock while he stood beside his daughter. He noticed someone coming up beside him and he smiled at Chloe when she stopped beside him. He noticed that Chloe was now dressed in a shimmering white cape and had on a skirt of the same material. Chloe gazed at him while the Doctor nodded to her.

"Are you enjoying your tour?" Chloe asked him.

"Yes, it's very interesting," the Doctor said with a nod.

Rain glanced at Chloe and noticed the interest she was showing in her husband. She glanced at the Doctor and noticed that he was missing the subtle signs that Chloe wanted him. She decided to take matters into her own hands and warn him before it was too late.

"Doctor, a word with you for a moment," Rain said to him.

The Doctor glanced at her and saw her beckoning to him to follow her. He put his hands in his trouser pockets and she led him away from Chloe to the other side of the room. As they walked, Rain glanced back and noticed Chloe was watching the Doctor intently. When they were far enough away, she stopped him and walked in front of him.

"I'm not being paranoid but I believe that there's more here than meets the eye," Rain said to him.

"And that more here would be?" the Doctor said.

"Thete, she was naked before and now she's all dressed up and she's giving you these little lustful looks. She may be a frog but I can still tell by the way she's looking at you what she's thinking. I'm beginning to wonder just what she whispered in her dad's ear."

The Doctor looked over his shoulder. Chloe was still in the same place but she was silently watching him. He raised his eyebrow and looked at his wife who now had a "You see?" look on her face. The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yes, well, I see your point now," he said.

"I think Swampdancer is doing the same thing all powerful people do, try to marry off their daughter to another powerful person in an alliance. After all, he's made no secret of his admiration for you," Rain said.

"And what about you? How would you like it if I took a frog for a second wife?" the Doctor said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I think if you did, I would be serving frog legs to our family the very next night," Rain said sweetly.

She laughed at the stunned expression on her husband's face.

"In that case, I'll make sure Chloe stays far away from you then," he said while she patted his shoulder. "Blimey, every once in awhile that Native American warrior blood in you still manages to show itself."

"Mummy! Daddy!"

The Doctor and Rain turned when they heard their daughter's voice. She was standing by the edge of the pond while a female frog held a wiggling tadpole in her hands. Hope pointed to the legs on the back.

"This one's growing legs and the tail's almost gone," she said to them.

Rain took her husband's hand and they walked over to her.

"This one's growing," Hope said, pointing to it.

"Yup, it is, isn't it?" the Doctor said, running his finger down the baby's back. "Magnificent!"

"This is Shia," Hope said, pointing to the female frog.

"Nice to meet you, Shia," the Doctor said while Rain echoed his sentiment.

Shia bowed her head to them in return and they watched while she carefully put the tadpole back in the water. While she was doing that, the Doctor noticed Chloe walking up beside him. He looked at her and she smiled as she gave him a shy look. The Doctor glanced at Rain who gave him another "You see?" look. The Doctor nodded, making a mental note to talk to Swampdancer before the dancing started.


	206. Chapter 206

Chapter Two Hundred and Six

(In the Doctor's distant future)

"Wait, Papaw," Clara said when she got off Adam's lap and went to the wooden trunk near the couch, opening the lid. She closed the lid when she walked back to the couch, climbed on Adam's lap and placed his Indiana Jones fedora on his head.

"I thought you got rid of that old thing," the Doctor said while Adam pushed the fedora up then wrapped his arms around Clara.

"I gave it tae David a few years ago, but he gave it back," Adam said and Alan rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Must be because you gave him your nits," he said and Adam gently smacked the top of his head.

"I'm amazed it can fit with all the hair," Donna said and Adam gave her a slight shocked look, blinking his eyes.

"An' what is wrong with my hair?" Adam asked.

"Nothing, but I wonder how you can see with all that in your eyes," she said and he stuck his tongue out at her.

"I like your hair, Pa-paw," Clara said and Adam smiled then gave her a hug.

"Maybe we should lay off his hair. He was the last of the Seven Dwarfs to be ginger," Jack said and the Doctor nodded.

"What does that mean?" Alan asked and snuggled against Adam.

"Well, at one time, me, Uncle Alan, Uncle Doctor, Uncle Amato, Uncle Duer, Uncle John an' Uncle Shilah all looked the same an' were teased that we were the Seven Dwarfs," Adam said and Alan and Clara giggled.

"Which one was Dopey?" Clara asked and Adam glanced down at Alan. Clara giggled when Alan looked up at her then knelt on his knees and moved closer, breathing hard and fast through his nose.

"Did he call me "Dopey"?" he asked and she nodded her head. Alan glared at Adam as he smiled and Alan flipped him off, sitting back on the floor.

"I know which one you were, Pa-paw," Alan said and Adam arched his eyebrow. "You were Happy!"

"No, I was Sleepy," Adam said.

"Why did they call you that?" Liam asked.

"It was because I was in a coma for a few weeks."

"I remember that story," Dougal said when he got up, walked to the couch and sat next to Rain and the Doctor. "It was when you went missing because those bad people were going to hurt Uncle Doctor and Tara."

"That's right," she said as she placed her arm around him and kissed the top of his head.

"Which one were you, Uncle?" Alan asked as he looked at the Doctor smiled and snuggled next to Rain, placing his head on her shoulder.

"Oh, that's easy! He was Doc!" Liam said and the Doctor nodded his head.

"Yep, he was Doc, I was Sleepy, Uncle Duer was Happy, Uncle Amato was Grumpy, Uncle John was Sneezy, Uncle Shilah was Bashful and…" Adam said and Clara patted the top of Alan's head.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was Dopey," Alan said as he tossed his hands into the air and they laughed. "Can we get back to the story?"

"Now he's being Grumpy," Clara said then yelped when he knelt on his knees and tickled her.

"Alan, sit!" Rose said as he sat down on his bottom and she smiled at him. "Good boy."

"Woof," he said then leaned over until his head was on her lap and he snuggled closer, half closing his eyes.

"Remind me again why I stay married to you?" she asked as she looked down at him and he opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"Because I am your stud muffin and you couldn't survive without me!" he said as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down and she laughed, patting the top of his head.

"Right, now where was I?" Adam asked.

"Adamana Starfish just showed up," Jack said and Adam smiled, half closed his eyes and set up a privacy block.

"Did you miss me?" Adamana Starfish asked with a smile and titled his head to one side.

"Oh yes!" Princess Rain Shower sighed and Rose Coral nodded her head. They watched as he slowly headed toward the blue light and his hips moved slowly side to side. Turning his head toward Princess Rain Shower and Rose Coral, he gave them a smile and a wink and pulled the rim of the fedora down a bit.

"Oi, enough with the romance novel stuff! There are kids listening!" Alan said as his head appeared above them and they looked up.

"Come off it, Dopey. I was showing them something else," Adam said when his head appeared next to him and Adamana looked at Doctor Merman.

"Just ignore them," he said as Adamana nodded and Adam and Alan vanished.

"You sent for me?" Adamana asked as he bowed toward Nobella then straightened up, placing the fedora back on his head.

"Yes, I need you to aide Doctor Merman and his friends in their quest to find Neptune's seahorse," she said and he looked at Doctor Merman.

"Do you have a map to where it is located?" he said and Doctor Merman floated to him, handing him the scroll. Adamana opened the scroll as he looked at the map then at Doctor Merman and smiled. "Sure, but it's not going to be easy. The guardian where it's located is known to be a real tough fin."

"Yeah, well, we can handle him," Alan of Seaweed said, nudging Doctor Merman in the ribs. "Right, Partner?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Doctor Merman said then looked at Adamana and he was looking at Rose Coral and Princess Rain Shower, who gave him passionate looks. "When do you wish to leave?"

"Hunh, oh, we can leave now," Adamana said and Doctor Merman nodded his head. Bowing toward Nobella, they left the room as Jamie led the way and they left the castle. Adamana looked up at the Perchwood when he balls his hands into fists and sighed.

"Is there a problem?" Captain Jack asked while floating next to him and Adamana looked at him, pulling the fedora forward a little bit.

"No," Adamana said then started to slowly float upward and Captain Jack looked at Doctor Merman. Doctor Merman shrugged as they floated upward and went to catch up with Adamana.

"Let me guess. Adamana is afraid of heights," Alan said while looking up at Adam and Adam sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I thought you got over that," Jack said.

"Aye, so did I, but I still have a great fear of heights an' falling," Adam sighed.

"Which is odd, considering the fact you were a cat in your last life," Alan teased and Adam glared at him.

"I only had cat eyes an' you ken that!"

"Whatever you say, Simba," Alan teased when Rose gently swatted the top of his head and he pouted, sticking his lower lip out.

"You really had cat eyes, Pa-paw?" Liam asked when Adam rolled his eyes and showed them what he looked like in his third life.

"Ooo, Pa-paw, you look very handsome!" Clara said as Adam smiled then hugged her and gave her cheek a few sloppy kisses, making her giggle.

"Yeah, a very handsome kitty," Alan said then sank down a bit while the Doctor glared at him.

"So, what happened next?" the Doctor asked as Adam smiled then half closed his eyes and set up a privacy block.

"Um, I think he's going to hurl," Alan of Seaweed said as he looked over at Adamana and Doctor Merman floated over to him and placed a hand on Adamana's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked while Adamana looked out the porthole then sighed, pushing the fedora back on his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just like to swim under my own speed," he said and Doctor Merman nodded. Suddenly the whale stopped short as they looked over at Captain Jack and Captain Jack floated over to Ianto, looking out the large window.

"What's the trouble?" Captain Jack asked when they saw the entrance to a cave when he unrolled the scroll and looked at the map then at the entrance of the cave. "Right, let's go."

"You mean we have to go in there?" Princess Rain Shower asked with wide eyes.

"Yep," Captain Jack said, popping the "p". Sighing, Princess Rain Shower followed the others outside when they went inside the cave and the walls of the cave surrounded them. The limestone in the walls shimmered while they floated side by side and Princess Rain Shower held tightly onto Doctor Merman's right arm. Captain Jack looked at the map with Adamana as they went down a tunnel when they stopped and were surprised to see a large canyon spreading out before them. Several pointed rocks hung from the ceiling as small fish swam around them and the light from a tunnel shimmered from the opposite of the canyon. "Right, let's go."

One by one, they started floating across the canyon when Rose Coral saw that Adamana was still floating at the edge of the canyon and she pouted, floating back to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked and he sighed, looking down at his tail.

"I'm, uh, I'm afraid of heights," he said softly as she smiled and stroked his cheek.

"But we saw you floating at the top of that large coral mountain."

"Yeah, but what you didn't see was me trying not to pass out," he said and she brushed some hair behind his ear.

"Come on. I promise that I won't let you fall," she said softly as he sighed and nodded his head. Taking her hand, they floated off the edge of the canyon as his heart slammed in his chest and she squeezed his hand. The others watched them when they finally came across the canyon and Adamana covered his mouth, swimming quickly behind a rock. Rose Coral swam over to him as she gently rubbed his back and Frazerwick looked from them to the canyon and scratched the back of his head.

"What was that all aboot?" he asked.

"Maybe he's ill," Gwen said when Doctor Merman floated over to the rock and Adamana wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and Rose Coral placed the fedora on Adamana's head.

"Are you alright?" he asked and Adamana shook his head and pointed to the alcove in the wall. Floating toward the alcove, Adamana explained his fear of heights as Doctor Merman half smiled and nodded his head. "Well, let's hope there's another way out of here because I don't think you'll be able to do that again."

"Yeah, let's hope," Adamana said as they floated back to the others and Captain Jack sighed, looking at the map. Pointing, he led the way as they went down the tunnel and Adamana smiled back at Rose Coral. They went down the next tunnel when…

"Hold on, I need to pee again!" Alan said as he got up then went up the stairs and Adam smiled, rolling his eyes.


	207. Chapter 207

Chapter Two Hundred and Seven

The Doctor excused himself and walked towards Swampdancer's hut. On the way there, he glanced over his shoulder occasionally and noticed Chloe was following him. He looked back again and then turned his head around and gasped when he nearly ran into Rose.

"Rain told me what was going on," Rose said softly. "About Chloe and all. I see she's following you."

"Yes. Can you do me a favor and keep her occupied so I can go have a chat with her father?"

"Aye, aye, Captain as my husband would say," Rose said, saluting with two fingers.

"Thanks, Te'lesu," the Doctor said before giving her an affectionate kiss on the forehead.

Rose hurried past him to intercept Chloe while he hurried on to Swampdancer's hut. On the way there, he noticed a few frogs bowing reverently to him and he nodded his head politely but didn't stop to chit chat. He reached the hut and put two of his fingers around the mat and pulled it aside a bit.

"Swampdancer, are you in there?" he said loudly.

"Yes, Doctor, come inside," he heard him answer.

The Doctor pulled aside the mat and ducked inside. The air was still very smoky and the Doctor wondered how Swampdancer could stand it as he temporarily activated his respiratory bypass system. Swampdancer indicated that he should sit on the cushion on his left and the Doctor sat down while Swampdancer smiled.

"Are you enjoying my village, Doctor?" Swampdancer asked him.

"Yes, it's lovely. But…I wanted to ask you something because my wife has become ill at ease about something."

"Oh, what is she ill at ease about?" Swampdancer asked.

"Well…she seems to think that your daughter is going to marry me," the Doctor said, coming straight to the point.

"And this displeases her?"

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"So it's true?" he said.

"Yes. Does that displease you and her?" Swampdancer asked.

"Actually, it does. I'm happily married to Rain and she's all I need. If I do need another wife in future, then I'll consider it but I came here just to view your village and be honored by you and your people, not to get married."

"But powerful people often make alliances and I would like to join with you," Swampdancer said.

"Yes, but…I don't make alliances like that. I'm not representative of all my people. We have representatives that are in charge of alliances and there are many of them. We don't have a king, Swampdancer, and if we did have a king, I wouldn't want to be him. If you want to make an alliance with New Gallifrey, I'll be more than happy to speak to the Time Lord council and tell them to send a representative…"

"No! That is unacceptable!" Swampdancer said, smacking his leg angrily. "You are the greatest Time Lord who ever lived and I don't care about any council, you will marry my daughter!"

"Nope, sorry, not interested," the Doctor said with a shrug.

"Then you will be put to death."

The Doctor stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm sorry?" he said.

"The marriage has already been decided."

"Yeah? By who?"

"Me. I am the chief of this village and what I say goes."

"Yeah? Well, I'm the Oncoming Storm and it's not wise to force me to do anything," the Doctor said, trying to keep his anger from boiling over. "I came here with my family in good faith as a token of respect because your subjects asked me to do so. I didn't come for marriage and the fact that this marriage has been planned behind my back shows me how unscrupulous you are, Swampdancer. You have shown me disrespect and I'm not going to tolerate it any longer. I bid you good day!"

He got up and stomped outside. He thought to his family and told them they were leaving; ignoring the yells from Swampdancer that he would regret his decision. Rose came towards him, a sympathetic look on her face when she noticed how angry he was. Chloe followed right behind her, staring at him in silent confusion.

"Is something wrong?" Chloe asked the Doctor.

"Chloe, I can't marry you. I don't want to marry anyone else, I'm happy being with my wife. I'm sorry. We're going, Rose, gather up everyone else, I'm assuming they're still in the hatchery?"

Rose nodded. They were about to head towards the hatchery when suddenly they heard Rain screaming inside the hatchery at someone to let go of her daughter. The Doctor and Rose shot past Chloe, running hell for leather towards the building. Chloe turned and hopped after them. They entered the building and saw Rain standing between Hope and two frogs pointing spears in her face. Alan and Jack were on either side of Hope protecting her flanks while Hope stared at everyone with fear. There was no one else inside the building besides the babies swimming calmly in the pond. The Doctor glared at the frog guards.

"Get away from them this instant or I'll make you sorry you threatened them with spears!" the Doctor growled as he and Rose advanced towards the frogs. "I will not be forced into marriage and my family will not be held hostage. I don't care who rules around here! I am a far greater threat than you lot ever imagined so let them go NOW!"

He tried to go to his family but one of the frog soldiers turned and thrust his spear in his face. He gasped when the Doctor grabbed hold of the shaft, jerked it from his hands and used his knee to break it in half. He then lunged at the frog with the half with the stone tip on it, aiming for his throat.

"Let…them…go…now!" the Doctor growled at him.

"Wait!" Chloe said, coming inside the hatchery.

Rose walked over to her and got between her and the Doctor.

"Go to your dad and tell him to order his guards to stand down," Rose snarled at her. "We want to leave in peace and we're going to do it, with or without bloodshed. We'd prefer without bloodshed but we'll take on the whole bloody village if necessary!"

"But…this must be done," Chloe said.

"No, it mustn't be done and it won't be done," Rose said to her. "Now go tell you father to call off his guards. I swear if you harm my family members and especially my niece, I'll follow my sister's suggestion and turn you into frog's legs!"

The frog still holding his spear on the Doctor's family glanced at his companion who was standing completely motionless while the Doctor held the spear tip to his throat. Suddenly, he tried to lunge at Rain and gasped when Alan intercepted, grabbed his neck and got him in a headlock.

"Drop the spear, mate, or the neck goes snap!" he growled at the frog as he looked into the frog's fear-filled eyes.

The spear slid out of the frog's hand as he stared up at Alan in fear.

"Jolly good, now obey Rose over there and go and tell your leader we want to leave!" Alan said to him.

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

They looked over at the door when they heard Swampdancer and saw him standing in the doorway with ten other guards.

"I'm warning you, let us go," the Doctor snarled at him.

"This can be settled amicably, Doctor, without bloodshed," Swampdancer said.

"Oh? And how do we do that?" the Doctor said.

"A friendly wrestling contest. You against my greatest warrior. If you win, you can leave with your family, if you lose, you must marry my daughter," Swampdancer said. "Would that be satisfactory?"

The Doctor considered it for a moment while everyone watched him. Then he let out a sigh.

"Alright, I'll do it. But they're to remain unharmed," he said, pointing back to his family.

"Of course," Swampdancer said. "And the same applies to my men."

"Brother, let him go," the Doctor said to Alan.

Alan released the frog and he gasped as he got away from him. Swampdancer told the frog that had been threatening the Doctor's family to go and fetch Toadstool. The warrior nodded and hopped off. Swampdancer smiled at the Doctor.

"Now, come, you must prepare," he said to him.


	208. Chapter 208

Chapter Two Hundred and Eight

(In the Doctor's distant future)

"Why don't you like heights, Papaw?' Liam asked as Adam smiled and arched the fedora over his eyes.

"I guess it has tae do with this," Adam said as he wiggled the fingers of his right hand and the children gave him a confused look. They did know how he became Duer's clone as he wiggled his fingers at Clara and she giggled.

"What does your hand have to do with it?" the Doctor asked.

"It has tae do with the regenerative energy in my hand. Or should I say my brother's hand? Anyway, I ran some tests an' it turns out that the regenerative energy from his regeneration cycle retained some of his genetic memories an' the sensation of falling remained after this was cut off. I'm amazed that John or Alan never had any weird memories or fear of heights an' falling, seeing that the same thing happened tae them," Adam said when Alan came down the stairs then hopped over the top of the couch and sat next to Adam.

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Alan said with pride while Rose rolled her eyes and Adam arched an eyebrow.

"Not even a Jackie slap?" he asked and Alan's eyes went wide as he covered his cheeks with his hands.

"Don't even joke about Jackie slaps!" he said and they laughed.

"Alan, have you ever had odd dreams about being a hand?" Jack asked as Alan gave him a slightly stunned look and blinked.

"Not that I know of," he said when Rose remembered something and looked at Alan.

"You did have that dream about being in the jar then being born," Rose said and Alan frowned. He thought for a few seconds when he rolled his eyes and set up a privacy block.

The TARDIS appeared in their heads as they saw Donna kneeling on the floor while the fire flickered around her and she was looking at the Doctor's hand floating in the jar.

_*Bubble…bubble…bubble…pop…pop…bubble…*_

"Aw, don't I look cute?" Alan asked as his head appeared above the jar and he smiled.

"Yeah, you look adorable," Donna said as her head appeared next to him and he stuck his tongue out at her.

"I'll tell you this. I loved floating around, but I was so bored."

"See, that's what I'm talking aboot. How can you be bored if you're just a hand?" Adam asked as his head appeared above the jar and Alan blinked.

_*Bubble…bubble…bubble…pop…pop…bubble…*_

"And how could I hear the popping and bubbling noise if I didn't have ears?" Alan asked.

"Look, you're all shiny," Clara said as her head appeared about the jar and Alan dropped the privacy block.

"Why did you do that for?" Donna asked and Alan glanced at the children and she nodded.

"What happened?" Liam asked.

"I was born!" Alan said with wide eyes and Liam giggled.

"Now I get what you're saying," the Doctor said as he looked at Adam and snuggled closer to Rain. "So, if that's true then you remembering falling from the Sycorax ship would cause you to be afraid of heights."

"But I'm not afraid of heights," Alan said.

"Yeah, and like I used to tell you, he comes from a different universe, which means what affects him may not affect you," the Doctor said and Adam nodded.

"Oh, like his wanting to wear this old, smelly thing?" Alan asked as he removed the fedora from Adam's head and flicked the fedora at Jack, who caught it with one hand. Getting up, Jack walked to Adam when he placed the fedora on Adam's head then walked back to Ianto and sat down. "Hey, I don't want that stinky thing near me!"

"Sod off," Adam said as they laughed and Alan flipped Adam off. "Now, where was I? Oh, right…"

Captain Jack looked at the map while they headed down the tunnel and Adamana smiled at Rose Coral. They went down the next tunnel when they swam upward and surfaced in a large cavern. The crystals on the walls and on the ceiling sparkled in their own light as they looked around and a large stone platform led to a cave at the back of the large cavern.

"Ok, where are we?" Alan of Seaweed asked as his voice echoed around them and he grinned. He placed his head back then howled as the howls roared around the large cavern and Adamana looked at Doctor Merman.

"Does he have wave sickness?" he asked and Doctor Merman softly laughed. As the howls died down they heard a low clicking sound as they swam over to the platform when a shadowy figure appeared at the mouth of the cave and Frazerwick's eyes went wide.

"We have tae get out of here!" he said as he turned and Captain Jack grabbed onto the back of his robe, making him turn around. "No, really, we have tae go!"

"Why?" Captain Jack asked while the clicking sound grew louder and someone walked out of the cave. Standing six feet three inches in height, the figure held a long stick of orange and purple coral in his left hand and he blinked his ice blue eyes. His flawless body was lean with well sculptured muscles and his long, black hair framed his handsome face.

"Whoa, is that supposed tae be Hamish?" Frazer asked as he his head appeared overhead and they looked up at him. He yelped when a hand appeared and pulled him away by his ear and Doctor Merman sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Who's there?" the figure asked as Doctor Merman jumped onto the stone platform and held himself up by his arms.

"We're friends," he said as the figure walked closer then reached out his right hand and felt Doctor Merman's wet hair.

"State your name then, Friend."

"I am Doctor Merman. Who are you?"

"I am Hamfish the Blind," Hamfish said and…

"Hold it!" Alan said as he held up his hand and Adam looked at him. "Do you really think it's a good idea to make fun of the War Chief? I mean, come on, "Hamfish"?"

"Well, seeing that he's nae here, I dinnae think he'll mind," Adam said when a white light flashed in the room and a soft wheezing sound filled the air. They covered their eyes while Namid appeared next to the couch where Rain and the Doctor were sitting when a white light appeared next to her and the white light morphed into Hamish. The others blinked their eyes a few times when Namid sat down next to the Doctor and he kissed her cheek.

"Hello, Mi-mi," Rain said then looked at Hamish and he brushed some hair from his ice blue eyes. He was on his sixth life and stood six feet three inches in height. He was wearing a tight t-shirt, jeans and leather boots and held the stick tightly in his hands. "Welcome, War Chief."

Hamish was still uncertain about being called "War Chief" as he gently smiled at her and nodded his head. Only he, Namid and Rain remembered what Namid did as Compassion when they faced the Valeyard and he walked to the couch, sitting on the floor.

"What's going on?" Namid asked.

"Papaw is telling us a story about Doctor Merman," Clara said and Namid smiled at Adam.

"Now there is someone I haven't thought about in a long time. Mind telling us what's going on?" she asked. Setting up a privacy block, Adam gave them a cliff note version of the story when Hamish saw Hamfish and he laughed.

"Is that me?" he asked and Adam nodded.

"Tell him what his name is," Alan said and Hamish tilted his head to one side.

"His name is Hamfish the Blind," Adam said and Hamish's eyes went wide. They knew that Hamish grew a short temper when he became the War Chief and Namid looked at Hamish, gently stroking his hair.

"Hey, that's tame compared tae the name of my character," Frazer said and Hamish looked at him.

"An' what did he call you?"

"Oh, I remember! I called him "Frazerwick"!" Namid said and Hamish laughed then ducked when Frazer tossed a cushion at him.

"Wait, you called him that name? I thought this was Uncle's story," Hamish said, looking up at her.

"Well, I made the story up a long time ago when we were traveling across the United States," she said as the Doctor snuggled against her and placed his head on her shoulder.

"Yep, she made it up to entertain her dear, old daddy," he said then kissed her cheek and Namid blushed.

"Can we get back to the story? I want to see what Hamfish is going to do to Doctor Merman," Alan said and Adam nodded, setting up a privacy block.


	209. Chapter 209

Chapter Two Hundred and Nine

The Doctor was led to a hut where he was allowed to change for his battle. As he was changing, Rain and Hope looked inside the hut. The Doctor had stripped off his clothes and was now wearing a breechclout with a painted frog on the front of it and an iron breastplate. Behind him were a spear and a leather shield that also had a frog painted on the front. Hope walked up to the breechclout and pointed at it.

"Froggy," she said.

"Yeah, brilliant, isn't it? I imagine it's my battle icon that I take into this battle with me. Got one on me shield as well."

"Are you going to be alright?" Rain asked, putting her hand on his breastplate.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. You see those frogs. This whole thing'll be over with in two seconds flat. Just watch me. I'll show those frogs they can't marry me off to one of their own."

"Yeah, cause I get to marry you next," Hope said.

The Doctor bit his lip to hold the laughter in while Rain rolled her eyes.

"Blimey, everyone wants to marry me, I'm extremely popular," the Doctor said, tousling Hope's hair.

He looked up when Rose, Jack and Alan came into the hut.

"So, got a look at my opponent yet?" the Doctor asked them.

"Nope, just watching while the entire village goes berserk," Jack said. "Half the people are excited about this fight, the other half are angry. I have a feeling there'll be frog's legs tonight if they don't simmer down."

"Not my fault, I tried to end this rubbish peacefully but no, King Froggy had to have his marriage or his gladiatorial games, come hell or high water, so here I am now, suiting up for something that'll probably take ten seconds or less just so we can leave here in one piece," the Doctor said.

"I would do this for you, but I have a feeling they won't be fooled by the switch," Alan said, pointing to his jet black hair.

"Nah, it's not your place to fight my battles, Brother," the Doctor said. "You need to help keep everyone safe until I'm finished."

"I'll fight them, Daddy," Hope said.

"Absolutely not, that is out of the…"

He paused and bent over. Everyone giggled when he held up her arm and pinched her muscle before looking her over.

"Nah, too scrawny, I'll handle it," he said while Hope giggled.

He walked over, grabbed the spear and shield and slid his arm through the rawhide straps in the back of the shield. Hope walked over and pointed to the front of it.

"Another froggy," she said.

"Rrrrrr, I'm a big, bad warrior who likes to kill!" the Doctor growled at her.

Hope gazed up at him quietly for a moment while the Doctor tried to look menacing.

"See, Daddy, the froggy here is the same as the froggy on your clothes," Hope said, pointing to the shield.

"Rrrrr, kill!" the Doctor snarled at her.

"Nah, you're doing it wrong," Alan said, walking up to him. "Allow us to demonstrate. Jack?"

Jack gave him a blank look while Rose and Rain giggled.

"Yes?" Jack said.

"Come, show us your warrior spirit and menace the child. Here, let me start. HOW-EEEEEEEEEEE!" he shrieked as he thrust his arms out.

He took the spear from the Doctor's hand and began to stomp around in a circle while he chanted like an Indian. Jack looked at Rain and Rose who were watching him expectantly.

"Come on, Warrior, show us your spirit," Rain said to him.

Jack shrugged and began to stomp around while Alan thrust the spear up above him and shrieked out "LOO-LAY-LOOOOO" By now, a small crowd of curious frogs was forming at the door while they watched them. Suddenly, Jack burst into song as he stomped around.

"I am a big, old stud. I like to kill, I'm out for blood. I'll push your face into the mud and kill you till you're dead!"

"Which in your case would take an eternity," the Doctor said dryly. "Okay, Geronimo and Sitting Bull, you can stop now before you bring the entire village in here."

"Which one's which?" Alan asked, stopping.

"I'm Sitting Bull," Jack said as he stopped. "That's a sexier, more masculine name. Actually, Alan's Indian name needs to be Put In Straitjacket."

"Yours needs to be Why Won't You Die?" Alan countered as he gave his brother back his spear.

"My Indian name's Fluffy," Hope said.

Rain giggled when Alan and Jack stared at her.

"Okey-dokey, Fluffy, I think this is our cue to get out of here so big chief Doctor Kills Them Frogs Dead can finish getting ready. Come along."

The Doctor bent over and kissed Hope. He then kissed Rain before Rain took her daughter's hand and everyone left the hut. Once they were outside, they asked the frogs where the battles was taking place and they led them out of the village along a dirt path through the swamps to a large clearing. In the clearing, fallen tree trunks had been piled up to make a square space where the battle would take place. Some of the frogs sat on top of the tree trunks but the Doctor's family leaned against one pile of tree trunks that was chest high and waited. Eventually, the Doctor was led to the clearing by a couple of the female frogs from the hatchery. He caught eyes with his family and grinned. Hope stared to run to him but was quickly intercepted by Rose. She whispered in Hope's ear before helping her to sit on top of the logs. The Doctor waved when his daughter waved at him and he went over a low pile of logs and entered the arena with his spear and shield. While he waited, the other frogs from the village poured into the clearing and began to take up space around the arena while they watched the Doctor.

"Well, where is my competition? Bring him or her on!" the Doctor yelled when no one else entered the arena.

All the frogs suddenly bowed at the sound of a horn and a frog entered the clearing wearing a purple and gold tunic and carrying a wooden horn. Behind him were Swampdancer and Chloe.

"My people, we are gathered here today to witness the contest between the Doctor and Bluebell! The winner will either marry my daughter or leave here peacefully. Bring in…"

"Wait!" a male frog near the Doctor's family said, "you can't do this. It's not right! The Doctor's done nothing wrong!"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and grinned when half the frogs agreed with him. Swampdancer raised his hands and everyone fell silent.

"The Doctor agreed to this contest," he said.

"Yeah, only because you wouldn't let him walk out of here without marrying your daughter," Jack said.

There was more grumbling but Swampdancer had his herald blow his horn to drown them out.

"Bring in Bluebell and let the contest begin!" he yelled.

The Doctor waited patiently, looking around for any sign of Bluebell. When he caught Hope's eye, she yelled to him and waved and he grinned as he waved back. Then out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something coming through the trees and he turned to face his foe. His mouth dropped open when he saw a small female frog riding a gigantic iguana-like creature. The creature had green and yellow skin and a frill behind its head that was the same colors. Bluebell rode on a large saddle on its back while she held on to the reins. In her hand was a spear similar to the Doctor's spear. The Doctor pointed to the creature as Bluebell rode the lizard up over the tree trunks and into the arena.

"Wait a tic, where's my lizard thingy?" he said to Swampdancer. "I should have a lizard thingy as well!"

"Arturo is Bluebell's steed," Swampdancer said. "She owns him and has the right to ride him into combat. Besides, it'll make the contest more interesting. Now…let the battle begin."

The Doctor muttered a curse under his breath as he readied himself and turned to face Bluebell.


	210. Chapter 210

Chapter Two Hundred and Ten

(In the Doctor's distant future)

"I am Hamfish the Blind," Hamfish said and thumped the coral stick on the stone.

"Pleased to meet you," Doctor Merman said.

"Why are you here?"

"We are on quest," Doctor Merman said as Hamfish blinked and tapped the coral stick on the stone. Hamfish reached the edge of the platform when he poked the coral stick in the water and Alan of Seaweed yelped when Hamfish hit him in the head with the coral stick.

"Hamfish, stop that," Frazerwick said when Hamfish turned his head toward Frazerwick's voice and a soft growl filled his throat.

"What are you doing here, Traitor?" Hamfish demanded as they looked at Frazerwick and Frazerwick arched his hat back on his head.

"I am no traitor!"

"You betrayed me! If it wasnae for you, I would still be able tae see!"

"Dinnae put the blame on me! I told you nae tae ride Loch!"

"As the oldest, I can ride whatever mount I wish!"

"Aye, an' you rode him tae the surface so you could see the sunrise! It was pure luck that you weren't killed when those humans got hold of you!"

"Aye, they didnae ken that it was bad luck tae mess with me! But, thanks tae you, I will never see the sunrise ever again!"

"Hold on," Captain Jack said as he hopped onto the platform and held himself up with his arms. "Just who are you?"

"He's my brother," Frazerwick said.

"How can that be? He has no fins," Princess Rain Shower said. They watched as Frazerwick floated out of the water while a white light shimmered around his tail and his tail changed into legs. His robe slithered down his thin hips as he landed on the stone platform next to Hamfish and arched his hat almost down to his eyes.

"Neat trick," Alan of Seaweed said and Adamana nodded.

"Look, I don't care what bad blood is going on between the two of you. All I want to know is where the jeweled seahorse of Neptune is," Doctor Merman asked while Hamfish turned and walked toward him, poking Doctor Merman in the side with the coral stick. Reaching down, Hamfish ran his hand along Doctor Merman's back to his tail then straightened up and blinked.

"You are a merman?" he asked and Doctor Merman gave him a slightly blank look.

"Yeah, is that a problem?"

"It is if you wish to retrieve the seahorse. It is located in the Temple of the Golden Heart," Hamish said as Alan of Seaweed, Adamana, Princess Rain Shower and Rose Coral hopped onto the stone platform and looked up at him.

"Do you know where this temple is?" Rose Coral asked.

"Aye," Hamfish said with a nod of his head.

"Well, let's get going," Alan of Seaweed said and Adamana sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I don't think we can go. Sounds to be like this temple is located on land and that's one place we can't go," Adamana said and Hamfish nodded.

"You are correct. The temple is located on the Isle of Lob Dawf," Hamish said and their eyes went wide.

"Wait a second! Lob Dawf? That's an anagram of Bad Wolf!" Alan said and Adam grinned at him.

"And this Temple of the Golden Heart sounds a lot like the TARDIS," Jack said.

"So the seahorse is located on the beach of Bad Wolf Bay and it's in the TARDIS?" Donna asked.

"I never said that," Adam said then half closed his eyes and smiled.

"So how can we get to the temple if we don't have legs and can't stay out of the water for more than a few minutes?" Rose Coral asked and Frazerwick looked at the ceiling, tapping his foot on the stone.

"You could ask me," he said softy then crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, sticking out his lower lip.

"Did you say something?" Captain Jack asked.

"Aye, I said you could ask me what to do!"

"No, dinnae trust him!" Hamfish shouted.

"But if he knows away for us to go on land…" Doctor Merman said and Hamfish growled.

"No, I will nae allow him to harm anyone else!" Hamfish shouted and Frazerwick snarled, looking up at the ceiling

"Oh, gull poop!" Frazerwick grumbled when he waved his hands and a white light filled the cave. The others covered their eyes then moaned as the white light faded and Rose Coral's eyes went wide while she looked at Alan of Seaweed.

"Great Waves, you're….." she said as he looked down and his eyes went wide.

"Will you look at that!" Alan of Seaweed said then looked over at Doctor Merman and frowned. "Aw, guppies, that's not fair."

"Right, you better not show us what he's looking at! There are children present!" Donna said and they laughed.

"You know I never asked," Alan said when he got up and walked to the Doctor. Leaning closer, he whispered in the Doctor's ear then the Doctor whispered in his ear and Alan pouted. "Right, where's the ruler?"

"Sit down, you goof," Adam said as Alan walked back to the couch, sat on the floor and Adam leaned closer, whispering in his ear.

"I hate you," Alan sighed as Adam patted him on the top of the head and Alan growled.

"Can we get back to the story?" Donna asked and Adam smiled at her.

One by one, they stood up on shaky legs as Frazerwick waved his hands and they looked down. Princess Rain Shower was dressed in white shorts, a pink t-shirt and a white waist coat and her hair was tied back in a white scarf. Rose Coral was dressed in blue short and a white t-shirt with the Union Jack on the front and she had her hair in a pony tail. Captain Jack was wearing jeans, a tight blue shirt and a long, black coat and Alan of Seaweed was wearing jeans, a white t-shirt that read I AM A STUD on the front and he grinned at Frazerwick. Adamana was wearing jeans, a white t-shirt, a leather jacket and his seaweed fedora was now made out of brown felt with a black band. Angel Fish peeked out from under Frazerwick's hat when he took her in his hand and held his left arm out. She flew into the air then changed into human form and was wearing white shorts and a blue t-shirt with Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm on the front. Doctor Merman was dressed in a brown pinstripe suit with a white shirt and a black tie and a tan coat and Princess Rain Shower smiled at him.

"Ok, now that we're dressed, can we get going?" Alan of Seaweed asked.

"Uh," Captain Jack said as he looked at his bare feet while wiggling his toes on the stone and Frazerwick smiled, waving his hand. Two pair of sandals, a pair of brown work boots, a pair of leather boots and two pair of Converse appeared as well as some socks and they looked at Frazerwick with confused looks on their faces. Sighing, he explained how to put the socks on as Doctor Merman looked at the black socks with red toes and heels and wondered what Friday was. Shrugging, he reached over for one of the pairs of Converse when Alan of Seaweed grabbed the Superman ones and stuck his tongue out at him. Scrunching his face at him, Doctor Merman took the Spiderman Converse then placed them on his feet and Frazerwick explained how to tie the laces. Standing up, they looked at Hamfish as he held onto the coral stick then tapped the coral stick on the stone and nodded his head.

"This way," he said as they followed him into the cave and Princess Rain Shower and Rose Coral held onto Alan of Seaweed and Doctor Merman. Hamfish allowed them to rest as they headed deeper into the cave then stopped when they came to the end of the tunnel and looked out at the ocean spreading out before them.

"Oh my, how do we get down?" Princess Rain Shower asked as she looked down and Adamana looked at her then realized that they were standing on a ledge twenty feet above the surface of the ocean. Turning around, Adamana went back inside the cave when Doctor Merman followed him inside and Adamana stood with his back to the wall.

"You don't have to come," he said as Adamana shook his head and felt his heart slamming in his chest.

"No, I'm fine," he said when they heard the sound of the coral stick on the stone and Hamfish walked closer, stopping next to them.

"Is there a problem?" he asked.

"Yeah, I don't do heights," Adamana said as he breathed hard and fast through his nose and Hamfish tilted his head to one side.

"I do not understand."

"He can't go up," Doctor Merman said and Hamfish gave them a blank look.

"We are not going up. We are going over the water."

"And how are we going to do that?"

"Come and I will show you," Hamfish said as they walked back to the others and Rose Coral slid her arms around Adamana's arm.

"Are you alright?" she asked and he shook his head. They watched as Hamfish walked to the edge of the ledge when he tapped the coral stick on the stone, placed his head back and an inhuman sound filled the air. They waited for a few moments when the water exploded around them and something rose toward the ledge. The creature was thirty feet long with soft white fur and the four flippers gently moved side to side. The creature's long neck came forward as the blue eyes blinked and Frazerwick smiled, walking closer.

"Greeting, Auroralla," he said with a bow and Auroralla looked at him. She moved her head toward him as she sniffed him and he slowly reached up, patting the soft fur.

"Let me guess. She's taking us to the isle?" Alan of Seaweed asked and Hamfish turned, looking toward him.

"Aye," he said while Adamana leaned his back against the wall and looked up at the sky.

"Oh guppy poop," he said as he rolled his eyes and arched the fedora forward.


	211. Chapter 211

Chapter Two Hundred and Eleven

The Doctor tensed his body and held his spear in both hands while Bluebell rode Arturo towards him. His anger about the situation he found himself in increased with every beat of his hearts and he had to restrain himself from jumping over the log barrier and stabbing Swampdancer with the spear. He heard a few random cheers from the crowd but most of them were now booing and the booing was growing louder with each passing moment. He sneered when he heard Swampdancer's subjects cussing and telling him to let the Doctor go. He glanced over at the frog chief but he stood silently with Chloe, not to be swayed by the opinion of his subjects. The Doctor shook his head at that and turned back to the task at hand. He ran to the right when Arturo opened his mouth and flicked his long tongue at him at Bluebell's orders. It barely missed wrapping around his left leg and he cursed under his breath.

"Hey, you leave my daddy alone!" he heard his daughter yell at Bluebell.

Another chorus of boos came after that and the Doctor quickly backed up to the back of the arena as Bluebell urged Arturo on towards him. The Doctor glanced at the backside of Arturo, quickly forming a plan in his head to get around the beast and get up on its backside to get at his opponent. While he was doing that, his family was watching from the sidelines.

Alan looked around at the frogs who were getting angrier by the moment. He glanced at Swampdancer who was watching calmly and seemed not to notice his subject's rancor. Alan tapped Rose on the shoulder.

"Bit thick, isn't he?" he said, gesturing to Swampdancer when Rose looked his way. "He doesn't realize that he's making his loyal subjects angry."

"Well, any man, frog or whatever he is that would do all this just because someone wouldn't marry his daughter deserves to have his subjects turn on him," Rose said angrily. "Not only did he force the Doctor into this, now he's allowing that tart on the lizard to cheat."

"If she hurts him, I'll hurt her," Rain growled.

"Hon, you're gonna have to beat me to her," Jack said to Rain.

They gasped when the Doctor rolled under Arturo, coming up on its side before he ran to the back and leapt up on the back of the lizard. Bluebell hopped up on the saddle and the Doctor used the spear shaft to block and repel her spear when she tried to stick it in his face. Arturo hissed and started to move but before Bluebell could sit back down; the Doctor grabbed her and jumped to the ground while the crowd cheered.

"Fight me here or not at all," the Doctor yelled to Bluebell. "You want me dead, you're gonna kill me in a fair fight!"

Bluebell shrugged. The Doctor dodged when she tried to thrust her spear at him and got in a few repelled jabs of his own while they shuffled around the arena. Then Bluebell managed to jab at the Doctor's side and draw blood as it sliced open his skin. His family looked around when everyone except Swampdancer and Chloe booed at that and they could see that most of them were looking at Swampdancer with murder in their eyes. Rain sighed and looked at Jack.

"Jack, look after my daughter for a moment, will you?" she asked Jack.

"Mummy, where are you going?" Hope said, shifting so she could look back at her mother.

"I'm going to have a talk with King Swampdancer, baby, I'll be right back," Rain said.

The other adults shared gleeful looks when Rain stomped off.

"Wouldn't want to be him right now," Alan said to them as they watched her walk over towards the chief.

"Hey!"

Swampdancer turned his head when Rain yelled at him.

"Yes?" he said calmly.

"Look, I don't know why the hell you're doing this, your ego, saving face after my husband's rejection of your daughter, I really don't care but if you would care to look at your subjects, you'll noticed that you are walking on very thin ice at the moment because most of them don't want my husband battling your warrior and I'm sure if my husband dies and loses his body, you'll lose your head because I guarantee they'll be a riot. So if I were you, I'd call this whole stupid thing off right now!"

"The Doctor agreed to this and…"

He gasped when Rain shoved him up against the logs. She raised her eyebrow when the crowd cheered that.

"See that, they want me to hurt you," Rain said to Swampdancer as she looked into his fear filled eyes. "In fact, I'm sure they'll enjoy me hurting you more than Bluebell hurting my husband, does that sound like loyal subjects to you? Now call this whole thing off and let us go or I'll climb up on that lizard and stomp you into mush, got it?"

Swampdancer looked at his subjects. Their attention was now riveted at him and Rain and he noticed that Alan, Rose and Jack were sniggering while Hope watched her mother with silent curiosity. Even Bluebell and the Doctor stopped fighting to see what was going on. Swampdancer looked at Rain.

"Let…my…husband…go…now," she growled at him.

"Um…I'd do what she says," Jack yelled to him. "We've seen what she does to people she doesn't like. It isn't pretty!"

Alan put his hands behind his back as he sauntered over to Rain. He patted her shoulder and she looked at him.

"Hi, let's control our bloodlust in front of the daughter, eh, there's a good girl," he said, patting her shoulder again. "Now, as for you…" he said to Swampdancer. "Even though my sister is being a bit rash in wanting to rip your guts out your mouth, I do believe she has a point about your subjects possibly wanting to move her aside and do the whole guts out the mouth thing themselves. See, ruling over others can be a delicate thing. You make the wrong move, you end up on a spit, roasting while your devoted followers cheer your death, not a good thing. So…if I were you, I'd follow my sister's advice and release her husband because she's very, very, VERY…protective of him and she doesn't like cuts and scrapes and bruises on his body, it makes her mad and when she's mad, guts get pulled out the mouth. Savvy?"

Swampdancer looked over when the Doctor climbed up over the log barrier. He waved at the crowd as they cheered and walked over to his wife and brother.

"I believe it's time to end this farce and let us go, eh?" the Doctor said to Swampdancer. "I've played your silly game long enough, now tell everyone the contest has ended before there's an enormous bloodbath and you're in the middle of it."

"The contest…is over, the Doctor has won!" Swampdancer yelled.

"Thanks," the Doctor said happily as the other frogs cheered. "I think you not only made my family happy but your subjects as well and that's the most important thing since you don't want a spear in your throat, right? Um, Latara, back up and give the king some breathing room, yeah?"

Rain and Alan backed away from him and Swampdancer backed away from them. The Doctor felt someone taking his hand and he looked down to see Hope smiling up at him.

"Froggy," she said, pointing to his breechclout.

"Silly," he said, poking her on top of the head while she giggled.

Chloe came up to the Doctor, her face crestfallen.

"Does this mean you don't want me?" she asked him.

Rain groaned while the Doctor gave her a stunned expression.

"All this and you're still under the impression I fancy you?" the Doctor said as Jack and Rose came up behind him. "Look, you're a nice lady but it wouldn't work out between us, yeah? I'm happily married and I'm not interested in you. Sorry, but it's the truth so you might as well face reality. Now if you don't mind, I'm knackered and we were on our way to a shopping trip. So…" he said, picking Hope up. "I bid you good day and good luck with ruling over your subjects."

The Doctor turned and waved to the frogs while they cheered him on. Refusing any assistance, the Doctor told everyone that he and his family could make it back to their TARDIS on their own and without another word, the Doctor walked off with his family following behind him.

"Are we going shopping now, Daddy?" Hope said after the Doctor set her down and she began to walk beside him.

"Yes, but first I need to go to the post office and see if I have anything," the Doctor said to her. "Haven't checked in awhile. Besides, I need to put you in a box and send you off to Timbuktu."

"No, send her off to Flankamankadoodle in the Snorf Galaxy," Alan said. "Nasty place. They have Thrimbottles there. And you don't want to make Thrimbottles angry. They'll eat your brain."

"That wouldn't be a problem for you since your brain was eaten long ago," Rain said.

"You know, I could go back and get Arturo and tie you to the front while I ride him," Alan said.

"Try it, if you dare," Rain said, looking over her shoulder. "I…"

She trailed off and sighed. The Doctor gave her a curious look and she stopped everyone and pointed behind Jack. Jack and everyone else turned and they groaned when they saw Chloe stop and stare at them silently.

"Blast, you don't understand the meaning of the word, no, do you?" the Doctor said angrily as he let go of Hope's hand and stomped towards Chloe.

"No, wait, I want to come with you. I need to get away from my father," Chloe said, holding up her hands.

The Doctor snorted at that.

"Why don't I believe you?" he said, folding his arms over his chest.

"Please, just look at this," Chloe said, taking a scroll out from a pouch hanging from a belt around her waist.

The Doctor took the scroll and examined it. It was made out of some sort of reed, pressed together and dried like papyrus. It had the consistency of papyrus and he could tell by the yellowish tinge to it that it was very old. He untied a red ribbon around the middle and unfolded it while his family came in close to observe what was going on. He read through it and then rolled it up without comment. While he turned, Hope was standing at his side, wondering what was going on. Suddenly, her father spoke but she couldn't understand him and she realized he was using Gallifreyan. She let out a small frustrated sigh and felt her mother's hand on her head. She looked at Rain.

"What's he sayin'? I don't know what he's sayin', Mummy. What's going on?" she asked her.

Her mother held up a finger and then put it to her lips. Hope stood by, impatiently, while her father continued to speak in Gallifreyan. Then the other adults began to reply in Gallifreyan and she was ever more frustrated. She looked at Chloe who was now perplexed.

"What's going on?" Chloe spoke to the Doctor. "Why have you switched to this strange language?"

The Doctor held up a finger to his family and then turned to her.

"I'm using my native tongue because I'm telling my family about this prophecy and we're debating whether to bring you along with us because of it. I believe we will let you come but on the condition that you don't try to get me to sleep with you. I'm hands off to you, is that clear?"

"Yes," Chloe said with a nod. "Thank you."

"Just follow us," the Doctor said, beckoning to her.

"What did you say, Daddy?" Hope said as she walked in front of him.

"I'll tell you when we get inside the TARDIS, just be patient, yeah?"

Hope nodded. She took her mother's hand and smiled when the Doctor tousled her hair, happy that he would let her know what was going on so she could help him again.


	212. Chapter 212

Chapter Two Hundred and Twelve

(In the Doctor's distant future)

"Ok, so Adamana isn't going to be able to fly, is he?" Alan asked while he sipped on the beer he had gotten from the refrigerator and Adam smiled, placing the fedora over his eyes.

"I didnae say that," Adam said.

"Well, I know what you were like way back when you were afraid of heights. I couldn't even get you to go on the London Eye."

"An' why would I want tae?"

"Because you get to see all of London when you get to the top," Alan said, wagging the beer bottle at him.

"Aye, but I finally did after I learned that there's na' tae be afraid of."

"So why is Adamana such a wimp?"

"I didnae say that he was," Adam said and Alan sighed then sipped on the beer.

"Can we get back to the story?" Donna asked and Adam smiled, closing his eyes then set up a privacy block

Auroralla flew through the air while Hamfish sat at the base of her neck and gently nudged with his heels. Frazerwick sat behind him while watching the water sailing below them and the whooshing sound of Auroralla's wings roared in their ears. Rose Coral looked back at Adamana while he sat with his eyes closed and she saw his muscles twitching under his skin. She knew that he was terrified but didn't know what to say as Auroralla slowly glided to the left and Adamana sucked in air, his skin turning pure white.

"_He's going to pass out," _she thought when Frazerwick saw a large landmass appearing over the horizon and he turned, tapping Doctor Merman's shoulder. Doctor Merman looked at the large island as Auroralla flew toward the island and Doctor Merman's eyes went wide. The Isle of Lob Dawf was roughly forty miles long and twenty miles wide and a golden beach surrounded the lush landscape and a large mountain sat at the center of the island. A thick mist encircled the top of the mountain while the flashes of light shimmered in the mist and a distant sound of thunder rumbled softly in the distance.

"Amazing," Doctor Merman said while Auroralla circled the island then landed on the beach and Doctor Merman slid off her back, landing with a soft thud. Alan of Seaweed followed him as they helped Princess Rain Shower and Rose Coral off of Auroralla's back while Frazerwick and Captain Jack jumped half way down onto the sand and Auroralla gently picked Hamfish off of her back and placed him on the ground. They looked at Adamana while he sat frozen on her back and was shaking. He screamed when Auroalla lifted him off her back then set him on the ground and he dropped to the sand. Doctor Merman ran to him when he knelt down next to him and placed his hand on Adamana's chest.

"Is he dead?" Princess Rain Shower asked as she knelt next to Doctor Merman and he looked at her.

"No, he just passed out," Doctor Merman said and Captain Jack smiled, nudging Alan of Seaweed in the ribs.

"Some great treasure hunter he turned out to be," Captain Jack said and Rose Coral growled, glaring at him.

"Shut your gob," she said as she stormed over to Captain Jack and slapped him in the face.

"Hey, I'm just stating the obvious," he said, rubbing his cheek.

"Just leave him alone!'

"Oi, what is wrong with you? You're my wife, not his!" Alan of Seaweed said and she sighed, looking at him.

"Yes, I am but I…" she said then sighed, looking at the sand. "I never thought I would have to tell you about…about…"

"I think it's time you told them," Princess Rain Shower said as she walked closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. Rose Coral reached over as she picked up the fedora and held it to her chest. She gently stroked Adamana's hair then looked at the others and sighed, smiling down at him.

"He's my brother-in-law," she said softly. "You see, I am the oldest of identical triplets. My middle sister, Sunshine, met him when he rescued her from a cave in. She wasn't sure that she could live with a merman who was always going off on one adventure or another, but she loved him and accepted him for who he was."

"Whoa, I have a brother-in-law and didn't know it?" Alan of Seaweed said then grinned, kneeling down next to him.

"So how do we get him tae wake up?" Frazerwick asked when Adamana started moaning then slowly opened his eyes. He blinked his eyes a few times as he looked at Rose Coral and she smiled sweetly at him.

"Are you going to wake up all the way?" she asked as Admana sighed then looked up at the others.

"Did I…Did I pass out?" he softly asked and she nodded her head. He closed his eyes then gasped when something soft gently nuzzled his chest and he opened his eyes, seeing Auroralla looking down at him. She made a soft purring noise as she nuzzled him again and he smiled, patting the soft hide. "I'm alright, Girl, just don't like heights."

Captain Jack and Alan of Seaweed helped him up as Adamana took the fedora from Rose Coral and placed the fedora on his head. Patting Auroralla, he looked at the others when Alan of Seaweed nudged him and Adamana smiled. Doctor Merman took out the scroll when he unrolled it and looked at the map. He studied the landscape when he looked toward the mountain and sighed, closing the scroll.

"Right, the Temple of the Golden Heart is that way," he said as he pointed toward the trees and they started walking along the beach. The sand crunched under their feet as they walked by the trees and the leaves slightly blocked the sun. The shadows moved around them as Rose Coral and Princess Rain Shower stayed close to Doctor Merman and Alan of Seaweed and...

"Papaw, I have to pee," Dougal said as Adam opened his eyes and looked at him.

"Go on then," Adam said as Dougal ran up the stairs and Hamish got up, walking to Adam. He picked Liam off the couch when he sat down then placed Liam on his lap and wrapped his arms around him.

"Why did you make Doctor Merman the leader instead of Hamfish?" Hamish asked.

"How can a blind man, even a merman, read a map?" Frazer asked.

"Well, it sounds tae me like he's been there before. Surely he would ken where he's going, aye?"

"That may be true, but he still couldnea see the map."

"He didnae need tae if he had been there before," Hamish said while his eyes flashed in a red light and the Doctor held his hands up, making them settle down.

"Adam is the one tell the story, so he can make the characters be any way he wants them to be," the Doctor said when Dougal came down the stairs and sat on the floor next to Alan.

"Did you wash your hands, Stinky Butt?" Alan asked as he tickled Dougal's armpits and Dougal giggled.

"Yeah!" he said as Alan hugged him and ruffled his hair.

"Now where was I?" Adam asked then set up the privacy block and half closed his eyes.

The shadows moved around them as Rose Coral and Princess Rain Shower stayed close to Doctor Merman and Alan of Seaweed and they held Rose Coral and Princess Rain Shower to their sides. The lush plant life and flowers surrounded them as they walked along when Hamfish walked by Doctor Merman and the coral stick crunched on the ground. Using the coral stick to guide him, Hamfish led the way until they came to a large lake and a thin mist floated over the surface of the lake. They looked at the lake when the surface of the water started bubbling and Doctor Merman and Alan of Seaweed placed Rose Coral and Princess Rain Shower behind them. The water exploded around them when a figure around twenty-five feet in height rose out of the water and Adamana's eyes went wide.

"It can't be," he said as he walked toward the lake. Made entirely out of water, the figure looked exactly like Adamana as Adamana stood at the edge of the lake and looked up at the figure. "Duerana, Brother, is that you?"

Duerana blinked when he looked down at Adamana and tilted his head to one side. Adamana looked at Frazerwick and Frazerwick held his hands a few inches while a ball of white light floated between his hands. The ball of white light hit Adamana while he changed back into his merman form as he dived into the water and Duerana looked down at the water. Adamana came to the surface as he looked up at Duerana and Duerana changed in size until he was the same height as Adamana. They looked at each other when Duerana reached out his hand and Adamana watched the water rippling around his brother's hand.

"Brother, please, we mean you know harm. We are looking for King Neptune's seahorse," Adamana softly said as Duerana looked at the others and Frazerwick waved his hands, causing a white light to appear. Duerana growled as he covered his eyes then blinked, seeing the others floating in the water next to Adamana and had been changed into their original forms. Duerana reached his hand out, palm up, as Adamana placed his hand against Duerana's hand and felt the water swirling around his palm.

"Tiri'me'su," Duerana whispered and his voice sounded garbled.

"What happened to you?" Adamana asked when Duerana looked at Princess Rain Shower and titled his head to one side.

"You have the scent of King Neptune," Duerana said, pointing his finger at her.

"Yes, he is my father," she said and Duerana's eyes went wide. The water churned around them as they bobbed up and down on the waves and Duerana's eyes went pitch black.

"He did this to me!" Duerana bellowed as the waves crashed around them and sent them under the water. The water swirled around them as they came up for air then were sent under water again and a loud howling sound filled the air.

"Brother, calm down and talk to me!" Adamana shouted over the howling as he bobbed on the waves when Duerana looked at him and grabbed hold of him. Lifting him out of the water, Duerana grew to full height while Adamana watched the lake growing smaller and his heart slammed hard and fast in his chest.

"Put him down!" Rose Coral shouted but her voice was lost over the sound of the waves crashing around them and Duerana glared at Adamana.

"Where is Neptune?" Duerana demanded but Adamana only looked down at the water and balled his hands into fists.

"Put me down," Adamana said softly as tears trickled down his cheeks and he closed his eyes. "Please, Brother, put me down."

"Answer me!" Duerana screamed then felt something moving through him and looked down, seeing Hamfish swimming up his body and Duerana slammed his right hand into his body while he tried to grab hold of Hamfish. Roaring, Duerana let go of Adamana as Adamana tumbled into the water and Duerana slammed into his body while Hamfish swam upward toward his head. Rising out of the top of Duerana's head, Hamfish held the coral stick over his head then slammed the coral stick down onto Duerana's head and Duerana exploded, sending water in all directions.

"NO!" Adamana shouted as Hamfish dived under the water then came to the surface and Rose Coral held onto Adamana.

"We must go before he resurfaces," Hamfish said as he headed for the shore and they looked at Frazerwick. Sighing, Frazerwick waved his hands as they changed forms then swam to the shore and Admana roared, ran at Hamfish and tackled him to the ground. Adamana pounded his fists against Hamfish's back while Hamfish tried to get away from him when Alan of Seaweed and Captain Jack dragged him off of Hamfish and Admana screamed.

"Let go of me!" Adamana demanded when Rose Coral ran to him then knelt down and wrapped her arms around him and gently rocked him.

"Hush now," she whispered as he buried his face into her neck and they all looked at Princess Rain Shower.

"What?" she asked as Doctor Merman walked to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Mind telling us what your father did to Duerana?" he asked and she sighed, looking down at the sand.


	213. Chapter 213

Chapter Two Hundred and Thirteen

After they returned to the TARDIS, Jack and Rose watched over Chloe in the console room while Rain and Hope followed the Doctor and Alan back to the Doctor's bedroom. Hope noticed her father was angry and she took his hand. The Doctor looked at her and smiled, then noticed her sad look.

"What is it?" he said.

"I'm sorry I made you mad, Daddy," Hope said.

"Huh? You didn't make me mad. I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at Swampdancer," the Doctor said.

"Why?"

"Let me get changed into my normal clothes and then we'll talk about it, yeah?"

Hope nodded and the Doctor squeezed her hand. When they came to the bedroom, the Doctor asked Alan to come inside with him while Rain and Hope waited outside.

"Why do you need me to come inside with you?" Alan teased. "Can't dress yourself anymore, old man?"

"Ha ha," the Doctor said while the others giggled. "Just, come inside."

"Aye, aye, Captain Nearly Naked," Alan said with a salute as the Doctor opened the door.

Alan followed him inside and the Doctor closed the door once he passed through. Alan walked over to the wall beside the chest of drawers, folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against it.

"Yes?" Alan said while the Doctor walked to his closet.

"I'm worried about Hope. Should I really tell her what the prophecy said?" the Doctor said to him. "I don't want to upset her and have her worry about me."

"Well, if you want my opinion, I think she'll be just fine. I don't know if you've noticed, but your daughter has seen a lot of disturbing things, including watching her father in a life or death match with a frog and a giant lizard and she's taken everything in stride. She wants to be a Time Lady so badly; I think she'll be even more upset if you don't tell her. Just trust her, there's quite an old soul in that little body."

"No argument there," the Doctor said, putting his brown jacket on. "I'm extremely proud of her."

"I'm not. She keeps farting and stinking up the air. Did you get a whiff of that planet, poor lamb couldn't help herself."

The Doctor chuckled and tousled his brother's hair. He finished dressing and then opened the door. Hope walked in with Rain and stopped to look at him.

"No more froggy," she said to him.

"Nah, I don't like Froggy. I'm a rough, tough sort who likes to kill. Grrrrrr!"

The Doctor got down in her face and grrred at her while he tried to look fierce. Hope stared at him calmly while Rain and Alan snickered. They laughed harder when Hope yawned and patted her father on the head.

"Silly daddy," she said.

The Doctor patted the bed and Hope sat down on it while Rain sat down beside her.

"I asked Uncle Alan if I should tell you what I read because I was worried about your reaction," the Doctor said to Hope. "But your uncle told me and I agree with him that you have taken everything in stride and you've behaved like a good little Time Lady so I'm going to take a chance that what I have to say won't scare you."

"I'm not afraid, Daddy," Hope said while Rain rubbed her back.

The Doctor nodded and cleared his throat.

"Chloe gave me a piece of paper and on it was written a prophecy. Do you know what that is?" he asked Hope.

Hope frowned in confusion and shook her head.

"A prophecy," the Doctor said, sitting down beside her, "is when someone predicts the future. What Chloe handed me was a prediction about Swampdancer's people's future and it involves me and Chloe. You know that a lot of people know about me even if I don't know them, yeah?"

Hope nodded.

"These people knew about me and sometime in the past someone made a prediction that I would come to them at some point and when that happened, I was going to be married to the chief's daughter, which is Chloe, and both of us would be sacrificed to prevent some calamity…bad things from happening. It means that they thought something bad was going to happen and they wanted to kill me and Chloe so they could stop it."

He waited for the questions or fears from his daughter but she lazily swung her left leg back and forth while she thought about what her father had told her. The Doctor laid his head on her and smiled as her leg continued to swing back and forth.

"Whatcha gonna do then, Daddy?" Hope finally asked.

"Well, I want to talk to Chloe, see how much she knows," the Doctor said. "She was in a hurry to leave with us so I'm sure she doesn't want to be sacrificed but on the other hand, she wanted very badly to marry me so I'm confused."

"Was she threatened into this marriage, do you think?" Rain asked.

"Dunno, she didn't look like she was being threatened when she was following me all around the village, then again, she could be a fabulously talented actress," the Doctor said. "We won't know until we ask her."

"Okay, let's go ask her then," Hope said, hopping up from the bed.

"You're a woman who gets things done, I like that," the Doctor said while Rain and Alan laughed. "Well, come on; let's go ask Chloe what's going on."

They walked out of the room and headed back to the console room. When they got there, they noticed that Jack was sitting with Chloe on the jump seat while Rose was in front of them, her buttocks resting against the rim of the console. Rose noticed them and headed towards the Doctor.

"Don't tell me, Jack has found a girlfriend," the Doctor said softly, gesturing to him and Chloe.

"Nope, Jack's just trying to find out what's going on. Chloe admits she knew about the prophecy but said her father forced her into the marriage."

"Really? Well, we'll soon find out about that."

The Doctor hesitated a moment and then looked down at Hope. Hope smiled at him and he tousled her hair.

"Listen," he said, kneeling down to her. "I need to do this alone. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind going ahead and going shopping with your mum?"

"You don't want me to be a Time Lady with you?" Hope asked.

"I do. But, I also need a few things from the shops and you can do that for me. Would you like to? Give you a few credits for your troubles," he said.

Hope nodded and the Doctor thanked her and kissed her cheek. He stood up and looked at Rose and Alan.

"Why don't you go with them? I'll keep Jack with me and you can take the TARDIS and go to the shops," the Doctor said.

"What if you need us?" Rose asked.

"I'll phone you, promise," the Doctor said. "I just think you need a bit of fun and…"

He put up a privacy block around Alan, Rose and Rain's minds.

I'd really like Hope away from here in case something happens, he thought to them. I know she wants to help me but I'm not sure what's going to happen here and I want her safe.

He dropped the privacy block when everyone nodded in agreement. He held up his finger and walked over to Jack.

"Jack, you and I and Chloe are going to take a walk back to the village," the Doctor said to him. "The others are going to take the TARDIS and go shopping."

"But…we need to run," Chloe said.

"No, we need to go back and get this sorted out," the Doctor said. "And I'm going to do it since this involves me and I don't like loose ends and weird prophecies. Wait a tic…"

He walked back over to Alan as he reached into his trouser pocket and got out a small silver key.

"Brother, stop by the post office and check my mail, I'm expecting a couple of letters from old friends and I haven't been there in ages," the Doctor said, handing the key to him.

"Are you expecting packages?" Alan said.

"Um…no," the Doctor said.

"Blast, I was hoping to nick some free gifts while you were gone," Alan said.

The Doctor swatted his head playfully.

"Get outta here, ya maniac before I change my mind," the Doctor said.

"Aye, aye, Froggy Betrothed," Alan said with a salute.

The Doctor walked over to his wife and laid his hands on her shoulders.

"Latara, hate to leave you alone with Alan since I'm afraid you might end up making him regenerate before he comes back but…do try to get along with him."

"Oh…I suppose I'll restrain myself," Rain said with a melodramatic sigh.

The Doctor grinned and kissed her lips. He walked over to Rose.

"Rose, don't cause trouble and make life hard for others," the Doctor said. "There's a good girl, bye now!"

"I wouldn't talk if I were you, mate," Rose said as the Doctor bent down to Hope. "And you, little Time Lady, you watch out for this lot and keep them in line, got that?"

"Yes!" Hope said. "You be careful, Daddy."

"Always," the Doctor said before he kissed her forehead.

He stood up and walked over to Jack and Chloe.

"So…both of you, come with me. We're going for a little walk," he said to them.


	214. Chapter 214

Chapter Two Hundred and Fourteen

(In the Doctor's distant future)

"Wait," the Doctor said as he slowly got off the couch and slightly limped toward Adam. Adam looked at him when the Doctor held his hand out and wiggled his fingers. Taking the Doctor's hand, Adam stood up and they headed for the kitchen while the Doctor headed for the backdoor and opened the door. Adam wondered where they were going as they walked outside and the Doctor closed the door. He half limp toward the pool while Adam watched him and jumped when someone tapped on the glass. Turning around, he saw Alan looked at him and asked him what was going on. Shrugging, Adam sighed then waved with his hands for Alan to go back to the others and Alan nodded, walking away. Adam turned back around as he watched the Doctor half limp toward the lounge when the Doctor sat down and waved for him to join him. Adam slowly walked toward the lounge then stood next to the lounge and the Doctor patted the cushion for him to sit down. "I think we need to talk."

"What aboot?" Adam asked as the Doctor sighed and grunted as he stood up.

"I don't know where this story of yours is going, but I did notice what you did with Duer. What was that all about?" the Doctor asked when Adam turned his back on him and looked up at the dark sky. "Adam, talk to me."

"No," Adam half shouted then balled his hands into fists and the Doctor walked closer, placing a hand on Adam's shoulder.

"Tiri'me'su…."

"No, dinnae call me that!" Adam said while the tears brimmed in his eyes and he set up a privacy block while the Doctor walked in front of him.

"You've been bottled up since the cremation. Talk to me."

"Och, now you want tae talk," Adam growled as he turned and started walking away. The Doctor half hopped after him then grabbed his arm and Adam spun around, his eyes starting to turn black. "It's fine that Marion is taking care of Frankie, David's looking after Cameron and Hope is with Faith, but no one… No one….!"

The Doctor held his arms out when Adam lowered his head and the Doctor half hopped to him, wrapping his arms around him. Hushing him, the Doctor rubbed his back while feeling the tears roll down his neck when Adam lifted his head toward the dark sky and screamed. The Doctor lead Adam to the lounge as they sat down and the Doctor placed his arm around Adam's shoulders, titling Adam's head onto his shoulder.

"Hmm, guess we were wrong thinking that you were ok. You have been joking around and being a pain in the arse as usual that we didn't see that you were hurting, too," the Doctor said and Adam sighed, nodding his head. "And then time caught up with us, I was captured by the Valeyard and you and Alan nearly died."

"Aye," Adam said, nodding his head.

"Anyway, just how mad at him are you?" the Doctor asked and rubbed Adam's back.

"He didn't even have the decency tae let us say goodbye. He just…died! He went tae sleep and was…GONE!" Adam said and the tears rolled down his cheeks. Adam stood up when he started pacing back and forth and balled his hands into fists. "That's why I did what I did! I wanted everyone tae see just how unfair it was for him tae do that! I'm so bloody mad at him that…that….!"

"You want to punch him in the face?" the Doctor asked then grunted as he got up.

"Aye, but that wouldn't solve anything," Adam said with a small smile and ran his fingers through his hair. The Doctor half limped to him when Adam held the Doctor and sighed, feeling the tears rolled down his cheeks. "I miss my brother."

"You still have me," the Doctor said and Adam moved back, looking at him. Amato had died ten years ago when he was caught in a cave in along with John, who also died, so knowing that they could soon lose the Doctor made Adam's hearts hurt.

"But for how long?" Adam whispered and the Doctor locked eyes with him, placing his hands on Adam's shoulders.

"That, I can't tell you. What I can tell you is that I am very proud of you, Tiri'me'su. I have been for a very long time. Not just because you're the one that can bring Alan back to reality, but for how you are a calming and responsible force in this mish mash family of ours. I never thought that I would have a family this big in all of my lives and wouldn't trade one crazy moment for anything," the Doctor said while Adam wiped his eyes then used the handkerchief he took from his sporran to blow his nose and the Doctor smiled at him. "Now, you want to come back and finish the story?"

"Aye," Adam said with a nod of his head as the Doctor took Adam's hand and they headed for the house.

Adam walked back to the couch when Rain walked to him then hugged him and he gently kissed her cheek. One by one, the others walked to him as they hugged then sent love into his mind and he sadly smiled, sighed and sat down on the couch.

"So what did King Neptune do to Duerana?" Alan asked as he sat down next to Adam and placed Little Alan on his lap.

"You sure you want tae ken?" Adam asked.

"YES!" Alan said with bugged out eyes and Adam laughed, gently shoving him.

"Well…" Adam said as he half closed his eyes and set up a privacy block.

Princess Rain Shower looked at Doctor Merman when she brushed some hair from her face and softly sighed.

"Well, you see, Duerana was my father's highest advisors, but Daddy didn't like it when Duerana would tell him what to do. So, after they had a fight, Daddy had…" she said as she glanced over at Frazerwick and Adamana's eyes widened as his heart slammed in his chest.

"You turned my brother into that thing?" he asked and Frazerwick backed up a bit, hiding behind Captain Jack.

"No, it wasnae me," Frazerwick said while Adamana stormed toward him when Hamfish stood between them and stamped the coral stick on the ground.

"Nay, my brother wasnae the one who changed your brother into that beastie," Hamfish said and Adamana breathed hard and fast through his nose.

"Then who did?" Adamana demanded.

"It was…it was Donnaella," Frazerwick said and Adamana frowned, arching an eyebrow. "She was Neptune's magic welder an' my mentor. After she changed Duerana an' sent him away, Neptune betrayed her an' banished her. She cursed him an' vowed tae get her revenge."

"Which is why she went after the Staff of Power," Doctor Merman said and Frazerwick nodded his head.

"That still doesn't erase the fact that YOU killed him!" Adamana said as he walked to Hamfish and locked eyes with him.

"He's made of water, aye? So it seems tae me that he cannae be killed, but he can be scattered into so much water vapor. That is why I said we have tae run before he has a chance tae reform himself," Hamfish said as Adamana sighed then walked back to Doctor Merman and he patted Adamana's shoulder.

"So what do we do now, Oh Fearless Leader?" Alan of Seaweed asked. Doctor Merman opened the scroll when he looked at the map then at the mountain and closed the scroll.

"We need to go that way," Doctor Merman said while pointing toward the mountain and they looked at the mist floating around the mountain.

"And how do we get up there?" Captain Jack asked. Suddenly the water started churning then exploded while they watched Duerana rising out of the lake and Alan of Seaweed and Doctor Merman hid Rose Coral and Princess Rain Shower behind them. Duerana roared while shaking his head and they ran as the water exploded onto the ground, sending dirt and plants sailing into the air.

"Brother, please calm down!" Adamana shouted as Duerana looked down at him and reached out a hand, picking him off the ground. Adamana felt the water pulsating around him when he looked at his brother and Duerana softly growled at him. "Oi, don't you growl at me!"

"What?" Duerana asked as he blinked his eyes and Adamana folded his arms over his chest.

"You heard me, Water Lips. I understand that you're mad, but you're not the only one. You just disappeared without a word or warning! Do you have any idea how that made me feel? I had NO idea where you were or if you were even still alive! I bloody missed you and took off, trying to find any sign of you! So instead of acting like a wanker, you could help us find Neptune's bloody seahorse then we can go home and get on with our lives! I mean, sure, I am glad that you're still alive, more or less, but I am not going to allow you to prevent us from reaching the temple! Now, you going to put me down and help us or do I let Hamfish swim up your arse and smack you into puddles again?" Adamana growled as Alan of Seaweed looked at Captain Jack and gently nudged him in the ribs.

"Now that's how you talk to a monster," Alan of Seaweed said and Captain Jack frowned, flipping him off.

"Well, what's your answer?" Adamana demanded as he strummed his fingers on his forearm and titled his head to one side. Duerana gently lowered Adamana to the ground then released him as Adamana walked to the others and Duerana slid under the water. They looked at Adamana as he arched the fedora forward when he took Rose Coral's hand and headed for the trees. Shrugging, Doctor Merman motioned for them to follow as they headed for the trees when he caught up with Adamana and tapped his back, making him look back at him.

"You're going the wrong way," Doctor Merman teased. Sighing, Adamana rolled his eyes as they turned around then went back the way they came and Rose Coral gently squeezed his fingers.


	215. Chapter 215

Chapter Two Hundred and Fifteen

(In the Doctor's distant future)

Doctor Merman led the way as they made their way down the trail when they came to the mountain and looked up at the clouds that surrounded the top of the mountain in a thick mist.

"Let me guess. The Temple of the Golden Heart is behind those clouds," Alan of Seaweed said and Hamfish nodded his head. Sighing, Alan of Seaweed slid his hands in his pockets as they headed up the trail and a low rumbling sound echoed around them.

"Was the rumbling from a monster, Papaw?" Clara asked.

"No, it was just thunder," Adam said.

After resting for the night when they reached the halfway point, Hamfish stopped as the clouds swirled before them and Rose Coral held tightly onto Alan of Seaweed's arm.

"We must be very careful. The clouds are very thick and it is easy to lose your footing," Hamfish said as they nodded their heads and entered the clouds. The cold air covered them as a soft tinkling sound filled their ears and the mist spread over their faces and bodies. Carefully helping each other over the gaps in the trail, they finally came out of the clouds when they stopped and looked at the temple.

"Neptune's Eyes," Doctor Merman whispered as they walked closer and the golden domes shimmered in the sunlight. The rest of the temple was made of white marble with gold trim and a large fountain was in front of the temple. Statues of a woman holding an orb in her hands stood between the columns that surrounded the porch leading to the doors of the temple and the neatly trimmed bushes were on either side of the stairs.

"This way," Hamfish said as he slowly walked toward the stairs and the cane softly clicked on the stone path. They followed him when the water in the fountain started bubbling and they gasped as Duerana rose out of the water.

"Not again," Captain Jack sighed as Adamana walked closer and looked up at his brother.

"Brother, please allow us to enter," he said as Duerana looked down at him and lowered his hand, picking him off the ground. Adamana looked at his brother as Duerana blinked his eyes a few times then moved a finger toward him, knocking the fedora off his head. "Hey, that was rude!"

"You look better without it," Duerana said with a grin and Adamana sighed, rolling his eyes.

"He's right. You do look better without that stinky, old hat," Rain said as Adam's eyes went wide and she stuck her tongue out.

"I will have you ken that my wife thinks I look dead sexy when I wear my hat," he said with a smug look on his face then smiled and rolled his eyes.

Duernana lowered Adamana to the ground when Rose Coral ran to Adamana and placed the fedora on his head. They watched as Duerana slid back into the water when they walked to the stairs and went up the stairs to the large, iron doors.

"Allow me!" Frazerwick said as he stood in front of the doors and raised his arm while holding onto the staff. With a small smile, he knocked four times on the door when the door slowly opened and he motioned with his hands for them to go inside.

"I could have done that!" Alan of Seaweed said as he lifted his chin and walked by him. They walked across the highly polished floor as the columns surrounded them and the torches flickered while sitting in iron holders. Their footsteps echoed around them when they came to the large, iron doors when Frazerwick walked closer and raised his arms. He mumbled something when the large, iron doors opened and they walked by the doors, going in the room. The darkness surrounded them as they looked at the white light which came from the ceiling when Hamish stopped near the marble platform and he raised his face toward the white light.

"She comes," he barely whispered when something appeared in the light and slowly floated to the floor. Her dark hair floated in an invisible wind as the golden gown she wore fluttered around her slim form and her eyes shimmered in a white light. She was flawlessly beautiful and Rose Coral, Angelfish and Princess Rain Shower noticed the men fixing their gaze on her.

"Who is that?" Princess Rain Shower whispered.

"I am Mi-mi, the Keeper of the Golden Heart," the soft voice said as they looked at her and Mi-mi hovered inches above the marble platform.

"Is that supposed to be me?" Namid asked and Adam softly smiled at her.

"I think you look amazing," Hamish said as he kissed her cheek and Namid blushed while the children made kissing noises until the Doctor softly coughed and they pouted.

"Greeting, Holy One, I am Doctor Merman," Doctor Merman said while walking closer and bent down on one knee, lowering his head.

"There is no need for that," she said as he stood up and she softly smiled at him. Nodding, he stood up as she motioned for the others to come closer and Doctor Merman introduced them to her. "Why are you here, Doctor?"

"We are looking for Neptune's Seahorse," Princess Rain Shower said and Mi-mi looked at her with a confused look on her face.

"Why do you seek it?"

"Because we wish to return it to Atlantis," Alan of Seaweed said.

"King Neptune gave the seahorse to me for safe keeping."

"Yes, but he is gone now. As queen of Atlantis, I wish for all the kingdom's treasures to be brought back so everyone can enjoy them," Princess Rain Shower said.

"Come and stand with me in the light. It will show me if you speak the truth," she said as Doctor Merman nodded his head and Princess Rain Shower slowly walked to the platform, went up the step and stood next to Mi-mi. The light grew brighter as they held hands and Mi-mi's eyes shimmered in a golden light. The light faded as they looked at Princess Rain Shower and Mi-mi and Mi-mi softly smiled at her. With a wave of her hand, a white light appeared in the left corner as Doctor Merman walked toward the light and saw the seahorse sitting on a pedestal. Carefully picking the seahorse off the pedestal, he walked back to the others and they gathered around him to look at the seahorse.

"Whoa, that sure is sparkly!" Alan of Seaweed said with wide eyes and Adamana gently poked him in the ribs.

"Thank you," Princess Rain Shower said as Mi-mi nodded her head and Princess Rain Shower walked down the step and went to join the others. They headed for the door as Adamana looked at Mi-mi and she tilted her head to one side.

"Is there something you wish to say to me?" she asked softly while watching the others walking out of the room and he walked to the platform, looking at her.

"If it pleases you, I wish my brother returned to me," he said as he removed the fedora and she floated off the platform then stood in front of him. Seeing the sadness in his eyes, she stroked his cheek as she blinked her eyes a few times and he sighed, lowering his eyes.

"If it was in my power, I would do as you ask, but I cannot."

"But I miss him so much!" he said as the tears rolled down his cheeks and she wrapped her arms around him.

"So do I," she whispered as he felt the golden light surrounding him and she stroked his hair. "I will keep him safe and you can see him whenever you wish."

"But how can I do that? I live under the sea," he said when she placed her fingers on either side of his head and he closed his eyes. The golden light entered his mind as he gasped then she moved her fingers away and he blinked his eyes a few times. "What did you do?"

"I showed you the path to the fountain outside. Follow that and you will be here in seconds," she said as he nodded his head then hugged her and went to catch up with the others.

The whole kingdom came to see Neptune's Seahorse as Adamana floated above the rock and arched the fedora forward. Princess Rain Shower had asked him to join in the celebration, but he felt the ocean calling to him and knew it was time to leave.

"Hey!" he shouted when Alan of Seaweed whacked the fedora off his head and swam after it, placing the fedora on his head. "Give that back!"

"If you want it then come get it!" Alan of Seaweed shouted and Adamana growled, balling his hands into fists.

"Give….it….back!" he growled when Alan of Seaweed swam to him and floated in front of him.

"No!" he said as he elongated the "o" and folded his arms over his chest.

"But it's my hat!" Adamana whimpered and Alan of Seaweed arched the fedora forward.

"I'll give it back if you promise not to go anywhere. I mean all you do is run off after the fun is over. Why do you keep doing that? Don't you get it, Old Salty Fins, this is your home!"

"No one wants me around," Adamana sighed and Alan of Seaweed's eyes went wide.

"What a load of guppy poop! YOU are the Royal Treasure Hunter! You're also…." Alan of Seaweed said then trailed off and Adamana gave him a puzzled look.

"I'm what?" he said as he gently nudged him in the ribs.

"You're my best friend, ok?" he said and Adamana smiled, nodding his head. "So, Best Friend, shall we go annoy Princess Rainy Painy?"

"Lead the way!" Adamana said as they swam off and Alan of Seaweed placed the fedora on Adamana's head.

"The end!" Adam said as the children clapped and Rain sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Why am I not surprised they would go off and bug Princess Rain Shower?" she asked when Adam and Alan stood up, walked to her and did sloppy kisses on her cheeks.

"You ken that we love you," Adam said.

"Yeah, you only bug those you love," Alan said and Rain giggled, swatting their hands away when they went to tickle her.

After Adam placed his grandchildren to bed, he walked down the stairs when he saw the Doctor, Namid and Hamish still sitting on the couch and Adam walked to the other couch then leaned over the top of the couch.

"What's going on?" he asked as the Doctor carefully got up and limped to him.

"This is an intervention of sorts. Namid and Hamish are going to watch the kids and YOU are coming with me!" he said as Adam's eyes widened and the Doctor softly smiled.

"But…."

"No, it's time that you were pampered. Let's go," the Doctor said as he slid his arm around Adam's arm and they headed toward the garage door. Thinking back to the story, Adam knew he'd miss Duer, but his other older brother was still here, for how long, he didn't know, and he still wanted him around. That was something Adam had been worried about since Duer died and the Doctor turned, placed his hands on Adam's shoulders and locked eyes with him.

"Of course I still want you around. Someone has to keep Alan in line," he said as Adam smiled while they walked inside the TARDIS and the doors slowly closed behind them.


	216. Chapter 216

_A/N: In the story Our Horrible Holiday in Deserted Disneyworld, I introduced a five year old deaf boy called "Dawg". Adam adopts him and changes his name to Alan. - ninewood_

Chapter Two Hundred and Sixteen

I sit here and wonder when I started acting the Doctor. I think it was on our last trip to Disneyworld and met a little boy named Dawg. That wasn't his real name. His real name was Douglas. "Dawg" was the name his mother and the other children had given him. We had ended up in a different universe and the Earth we landed on had been invaded. Nearly all life had been removed from the planet and the humans that were left were forced to live underground.

Now I do admit that I was furious when I learned that Charlie, Dawg's mother, was beating him because he was born deaf, but did that really excuse me from wanting to just take her son from her? I normally don't act like that and it scared me.

Speaking of Charlie, I don't want it sounding like she was a complete monster. She was so young when she was raped and she really didn't know what to do with a disabled baby. It turned out that she was so angry with his father for raping her that she took that anger out on Dawg. True, that doesn't excuse her, but judging her before figuring out all the facts isn't something I normally do. Guess that's what happens when the Oncoming Storm inside me kicks in. She did agree to let me give her son a better life, but I know it hurt her when he out right rejected her. At the end of the day, they agreed to be friends and she, as well as the rest of the humans, came with us when we left that ruined world.

I was also pissed off that Alan wanted to take the little guy in when he already had adopted a kid. Why do he and the Doctor get all the lost and abandoned kids? At the end of the day, it turned out fine because Dawg wanted both of us as his daddy.

What Alan and I needed to do was figure out a new name for our son and decided his first name was Alan and his middle name would be Adamnan, which is Scottish for Little Adam.

The next thing we had to figure out was where Little Alan was going to live. We just couldn't see him spending a week living at Alan's house then a week living with me and my wife. It would be too confusing and we both agreed he needed a stable home life. How did we come to an agreement on where he would live? Simple, we just asked him. As much as Little Alan loves Alan, he wanted to live with me and my wife.

Alan and I did find out that Little Alan was smarter than most thought. He could read, write, do complicated maths and can communicate with either sign language or blocks. Charlie told us that he could walk before he was a year old and my brother teased that we have another Cameron on our hands.

When we returned to New Gallifrey, I wondered how people would react to Little Alan. What isn't there to love about this wild five year old? If no one knew he was deaf, they wouldn't give him a second look.

Marion, Charlie and I did take him to the hospital to see if there was any way to reverse or improve his hearing loss and Doctor T'Yar'qua told us that Little Alan was a candidate for surgery. The downside was we had to wait until he was at least twenty or so for her to perform the surgery. She explained the reason for the delay was because he was still growing and would have to endure more surgeries as he grew older. None of us complained and T'Yar'qua did offer some interesting equipment for keeping track of our little monkey. Ok, that wasn't nice, but he does run wild sometimes and he loves his tracking watch. With it, Little Alan can find any member of our mixed up family if he happens to get lost.

I do admit the first few nights were hard. He wasn't used to sleeping in a bed and getting him to even try ended up in screaming fits and a tantrum. We would find him sleeping on the floor or he had gotten up and was wondering around the house. He would also get very upset if we put up the bed rails to prevent him from getting out of bed, but he did get used to the bed when I placed David's Disney's Cars play tent on the bed and gave him a torch to use if he got scared during the night.

The next thing I was worried about was how my Irish wolfhound, Clover, would react to him. Would she reject him or even try to hurt him? I couldn't cope if I had to choice between the two of them. What I forgot was Clover was female and she turned into a second mum. She wouldn't let him get too close to the pool, which he never did due to him being deathly afraid of water after Charlie tried to drown him, and would gently nudge him to alert him about things like bath time, bedtime or that dinner was ready. The only thing I have to do is stop him from trying to ride on her back. She does give him a "get off" look when he tries and he would just giggle then give her a hug.

Truth be told, learning sign langue wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and the whole family can talk to him now. The one thing I do want to know is who taught him to sign FUCK YOU…FUCK THE LOT OF YOU. We had taught him all different types of sign language and I found out that sign comes from Australian sign language. He won't tell me who taught it to him, but I keep seeing my sister-in-law's brother smile whenever he uses it. We now have a list of signs he can use and signs he can't.

_"Adam, where are you?" _Marion thought as he sat back in the chair and arched the fedora up with a finger.

_"I'm in the den. What's up, Buttercup?" _he thought and she softly laughed in his head.

_"I need you to come over to Alan's house."_

_"Is my partner in crime bugging you and Rose again?"_

_"No, but we can't get his namesake out from under the kitchen island."_

_"Just offer him a biscuit and he'll come right out."_

_"I really think you should come help us," _she thought as he heard the concern in her voice and he saved what he had written, turned the computer off and left the room.

"Where is he?" Adam asked after Rose had let him in and she pointed toward the kitchen. He walked to the doorway to the kitchen when his eyes went wide and he cupped his mouth with his hands. Milk was dribbling from the counter as laughter caught in Adam's throat from seeing Alan covered with what looked like a banana milkshake and Alan spit some of the milkshake out of his mouth.

"It's not that funny," he said as Adam nodded his head and was shaking from trying not to laugh.

"Where…?" Adam asked with a squeak to his voice and puffed out some air as he tried to calm down. "Where is he?"

Alan pointed to the space under the kitchen island as Adam walked closer and knelt down on his haunches. Little Alan was also covered in banana milkshake as he looked up at him with sad eyes and Adam softly smiled at him.

DID, UM, DID SOMETHING HAPPEN WHLE DADDY ALAN MAKING YOU A MILKSHAKE?

YES, Little Alan signed and Adam could see the fear in his eyes.

DID YOU…DID YOU PUSH THE BUTTON BEFORE HE COULD PUT THE LID ON? Adam signed and Little Alan looked down at his feet. Gently lifting his chin with his finger, Adam smiled as he shook his head and Little Alan titled his head to one side. Adam wiggled a finger as Little Alan crawled to him and Adam carefully stood up as he lifted Little Alan off the floor. He sat Little Alan on the counter while Alan walked closer and Little Alan gave him a sad look.

SORRY, DADDY, Little Alan signed while Adam handed Alan a tea towel and Alan wiped his face off. Smiling, Alan wiped Little Alan's face as Little Alan gave him a confused look and Alan kissed the top of his head.

HEY, I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I TOOK A MILKSHAKE BATH, he signed and Little Alan smiled. NOW, ARE YOU GOING TO HELP ME CLEAN UP?

IF DADDY ADAM HELPS US, Little Alan signed and Adam's eyes went wide.

WHY DO I HAVE TO HELP? I DIDN'T MAKE A MESS, he signed.

BECAUSE I WILL MAKE US A TRIPLE BANANA MILKSHAKE IF YOU DO, Alan signed and Adam grinned.

HAND ME A TEA TOWEL! Adam signed as Little Alan giggled and they started cleaning up the mess on the counter and the floor.


	217. Chapter 217

Chapter Two Hundred and Seventeen

Adam sat on the couch while his five year old son snuggled next to him and they were watching Tree Fu Tom on CBeebies. Adam didn't mind the captions on the screen as Little Alan giggled and looked up at him. If anyone would have told Adam that he would be adopting a five year old boy who was not only from a different universe, but deaf, he would have told them to bugger off. But that was exactly what happened and he never regretted his decision.

DADDY, TWIGS IS BEING SILLY, Little Alan signed then pointed to the holo-television as Twigs ran around in a circle and Adam nodded his head. Suddenly a light flashed while the doorbell rang as Little Alan got off the couch and ran to the door. Smiling, Adam got up while the light flashed again and Little Alan jumped up and down, pointing to the door.

HOLD ON. WE HAVE TO SEE WHO IT IS FIRST, Adam signed as he looked out the window and smiled. OK, OPEN THE DOOR.

Little Alan opened the door when he looked up at Duer and smiled. He was a little confused at first with who was who, but he knew Duer wore white, converse sneakers with Superman or Spiderman on them and Duer smiled down at him.

IT'S UNCLE DUER!

I SEE THAT.

HELLO, ALAN. HOW ARE YOU? Duer signed as he knelt down and smiled at him. It still hurt his hearts to think Little Alan was called "Dawg" and abused by his mother most of his life, but seeing him happy and smiling proved that taking him away from her was the right thing to do.

I'M GOOD. DADDY AND I ARE WATCHING TREE FU TOM, Little Alan signed and Duer nodded then stood up, looking at Adam.

"What's up?" Adam asked when he saw something bundled up in his brother's coat and stood back to let him inside.

"Can we go into your TARDIS?" Duer asked and Adam nodded his head then looked down at Little Alan.

IS IT OK IF I GO DO SOMETHING WITH UNCLE DUER?

CAN I HELP? Little Alan signed.

NO, NOT THIS TIME, BUTTER BUTT, Duer signed as Little Alan giggled and he ruffled Little Alan's hair. Little Alan ran back to the couch then sat down as they headed for the garage and Adam opened the door. They went inside the TARDIS when Adam followed Duer down the hallway and they headed for the medical bay. Whatever he had wrapped in his coat made Duer look sad as Adam frowned then blinked his eyes a few times and they walked in the room. The door closed behind them as Duer walked to the examination bed and placed his coat down.

"Ok, what's going on?" Adam asked with concern in his voice and stood on the other side of the examination bed. Duer slowly opened his coat as they looked down and Elby, Faith's chibi, was curled up into a ball. Elby's eyes had dark circles and it was shaking while pulling on the lining of Duer's coat. "What happened to him?"

"That's what we've been trying to figure out. He hasn't been sleeping, he wakes us up with these shrill screams and he barely eats," Duer said while stroking the tiny head and Elby made soft meeping sounds. "I did examine him, but couldn't find anything wrong."

"And you think I might know something?"

"Well, I tried to contact River, but she's off planet at the moment."

"How long has he been acting like this?" Adam said as he brought over a hand held scanner and Duer tried to get Elby to lie still.

"It's been three days," Duer said as Adam nodded his head and scanned Elby.

"Has he eaten anything out of the usual?"

"No," Duer said, shaking his head.

"Did he fall down the stairs or out the window?"

"No."

"Well, the scans show there's nothing broken or any sign of poison," Adam said when he gently picked up Elby and Elby slumped against his hand, placing its head against his fingers. "You know, when you went back to your tenth life, we all thought he would either die or go into stasis."

'Yeah, I remember. Are you saying he's dying?" Duer asked with a worried look on his face. The idea of Faith losing her best friend made his hearts hurt and Adam sighed, brushing the hair out of his eyes.

"I don't know. Has Faith been neglecting him?"

"Well, she hasn't been taking him to the academy lately and had forgotten to take him with her when we go in the TARDIS," Duer said and Elby softly meeped, nodding its head.

"Uh-oh," Adam said and they looked at him. "I was wondering when this day would come."

"What are you talking about?"

"See, when River reached a certain age, she stopped playing with her chibis. Oh, she still took care of them, but she more or less left them on their own. Faith is eight now, isn't she?"

"Yeah, but you don't…." Duer said when he remembered something and his eyes went wide. "Oh crap! She had been putting away her old toys the last few days and there have been boxes all over her room."

"And Elby saw her doing it. He must think he'll end up in a box and left to rot in the loft," Adam said and Elby nodded its head. "There you go."

"Wait, are you saying that's what's wrong? He thinks she's going to abandon him?"

"Yep," Adam said while nodding his head and stroked Elby's hair.

"If that's true, what should we do? I don't want Elby to die."

"Well, the only answer is for Elby to go live with the rest of the chibis."

"Isn't that a little drastic? He isn't like the others. I mean he does go stay with them sometimes, but he's been with us ever since Faith was a baby."

"Yeah, I know, but it might be the only way he'll snap out of this. If he keeps going on like this…" Adam said as Duer sighed and Elby softly meeped, closing its eyes.

_"Daddy, where are you?" _Faith thought as Duer moved her mind closer and closed his eyes.

_'I'm over at Uncle Adam's," _Duer thought.

_"Have you seen Elby? I can't find him."_

_"He's with me in Uncle Adam's TARDIS."_

_"Why?"_

_"I wanted Uncle Adam to examine Elby to see why he is feeling poorly."_

_"Did he find out why?"_

_"Yes, and Uncle Adam thinks it's time for Elby to go live with the chibis."_

Duer felt Faith's mind moving away while they looked at each other and Duer shrugged his shoulders. A few minutes later Little Alan ran into the room when he pulled on Duer's fingers and Duer looked down at him.

FAITH IS HERE AND SHE'S CRYING, Little Alan signed as Duer picked up his coat then took Elby from Adam and left the medical bay. DADDY, WHY IS FAITH CRYING?

LET'S GO HAVE A SNACK AND I'LL TELL YOU, Adam signed as they left the medical bay and the door closed behind them.

Faith sat Elby on the desk as it looked around the room then sighed, sliding down onto its right side. The walls were now painted a tan color and the Disney Princess stickers were gone. The furniture was deep brown with matching bedding and curtains and a computer sat on the desk. Posters of the latest boy bands and movies that Faith liked were now on the walls and the only thing that was remained of her childhood was Elby's dollhouse. Faith sat Elby up as they looked at each other and Faith blinked the tears out of her eyes.

"I am so sorry," she whispered as Elby looked at her and sighed. "I never thought you'd think I would just put you in a box and leave you to rot in the loft. Is that why you've been waking up screaming? Were you dreaming that's what I did?"

"Meepa," Elby said with a nod of its head.

"It's true that I have put away most of my old stuff, but I would never do that to you."

"Meepa," Elby said while pointing to where her board games sat on the shelf and she looked at the video game system and video games that had replaced them.

"I thought you liked playing video games with me."

"Meepa meep meep," Elby said with a nod of its head.

"And I did put my stuffies away in the loft, too,"

"Meepa," Elby said as it looked at hologram photograph of her, Elby and Mumble Bumble, her teddy bear.

"Yeah, that included Mumble Bumble," she sighed and picked Elby up, holding it in her arms. "And I put my Barbie dolls away, too. It's funny, but I never did like them or those Moxie Girl dolls. And Bratz scared you because I had to remove their feet to change their shoes."

"Meepa," Elby said with a nod of its head.

"Do you remember those books that Moira gave me about the monster school?" she asked and Elby nodded its head. "I found out there were video games and dolls that go with the books, but I didn't think you'd like them because you don't like monsters."

She placed Elby on the floor when she walked to the trunk and opened the lid. Elby watched as she removed shopping bags from the trunks then removed what was in the shopping bags and Elby slowly walked closer. She sat on the floor as Elby looked at the dolls in the boxes then ran into the dollhouse and she sighed, standing up.

"Maybe Daddy's right. Maybe…" she said when Elby ran back out and she was surprised to see him wearing a small, academy teacher's robe and hat and smiled.

"Are you sure about this? I mean Elby may be a chibi, but he's also a member of the family," Frankie said as they walked down the hallway and Duer sighed, half closing his eyes.

"Adam thinks so," Duer said softly.

"Faith didn't mean it, Sweetie. She's just growing up," she said as he nodded and she kissed his cheek.

"Yeah, when did…?" he asked when they heard giggling coming from Faith's room and they slowly walked to the door. Peeking into the room, they watched while Elby stood near the computer and was using a pen as a pointer. Faith sat on the floor with her Monster High dolls sitting in front of her and Elby walked back and forth like it was teaching the class. Looking at Duer, Frankie smiled as he placed his arm around her waist and they walked away while Elby smiled, tapping the pen on the screen.


	218. Chapter 218

Chapter Two Hundred and Eighteen

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Nigel asked while Jack held onto his four month old daughter, Lisa, and three year old Rory was standing next to him.

"Of course I want to! How often do I get a chance to spoil these two?" Jack asked as he kissed the top of Lisa's head and she softly cooed.

"I just don't want to trouble you."

"What trouble? Look, with the rest of Torchwood off on a training mission, I can think of no better way to spend the day then with these two."

"We could take Rory with us. It wouldn't…." Nigel said as Jack glared at him and Nigel softly coughed.

"I will have you know that I took care of kids before. The Doctor and the others used to leave their kids with me when they were busy. Now shoo," Jack said with a wave of his hand and Nigel smiled, nodding his head. Jack and Rory watched as Nigel, Stacey and Maggie entered his TARDIS and the TARDIS slowly vanished then Jack looked down at his grandson and grinned.

"What do we do now, Papaw?" Rory asked.

"I thought we'd get the pushchair and go to the zoo!" Jack said with wide eyes and Rory nodded his head while smiling. After finding the pushchair, packing some things into the diaper bag and changed Lisa's nappy twice, they left the house as he locked the door and deeply sighed. "Yep, this is going to be a piece of cake."

The day was warm, but not too warm as Jack pushed the pushchair and Rory sat next to Lisa. They had bought two balloons at the main gate as the balloons twirled on the handle of the pushchair and Rory sipped on some juice Jack had placed in his sippy cup. Jack steered the pushchair toward the petting zoo when he saw the crowd near the goat and sheep pens and sighed, placing his hands on his hips.

"Guess we're not going over there," Jack said and Rory looked up at him.

"We're not going to see sheep?" he asked.

"There're too many people. We'd never get close enough."

"We go see bunnies then?" Rory asked as Jack looked over at the area where the bunnies were and nodded his head, placing his hands on the handles of the pushchair. The bunny area wasn't very crowded as Jack held the cup of rabbit food for Rory and Rory held his hand out so the bunnies could eat the food from his hand. "It's Lisa's turn, Papaw."

"Sorry, Buddy, she can't feed them yet," he explained as Rory nodded and took the cup out of Jack's hand. Jack watched as Rory placed the cup on the ground then wiped his hands together and Jack took the hand sanitizer out of the diaper bag. Rory didn't really want him to use it as Jack gave him a stern look and Rory sighed, holding his hands out. Jack squirted the hand sanitizer onto Rory's hands then rubbed his hands together and lifted Rory off the ground, placing him in the pushchair.

"Can we go see sheep now?" Rory asked as Jack looked over at the sheep area and the crowd had thinned out. Nodding, Jack finished strapping Rory into the seat then walked around to the back of the pushchair and placed his hands on the handles, pushing the pushchair toward the sheep area.

After spending most of the morning at the petting zoo, Jack was ready to have something to eat as he softly hummed a song to himself and pushed the pushchair toward the queue in front of the hotdog cart. Lisa was asleep as Rory walked next to Jack while holding onto the pushchair and Jack smiled down at him.

"What do you want for lunch?" he asked and Rory looked up with him.

"Can we have pizza?" he asked.

"I think I'm in the wrong queue for that. Hotdogs ok?" he asked and Rory nodded his head.

"Can I push Lisa, Papaw?" he asked while pointing to the pushchair and Jack nodded, moving back so he could stand behind the pushchair and reached up for the handles. "I can't reach."

"Then maybe I should push it then."

"No, Nan lets me push. I do this," Rory said as he took hold of the sides of the pushchair and moved the pushchair when the queue moved. Jack softly smiled as he watched Rory when something moved out of the corner of his eye and he turned his head, trying to see what it was. "You ok, Papaw?"

"Yeah," Jack said as the queue moved and he watched Rory push the pushchair forward. Suddenly Jack saw Frazer and some security people running by when he called Frazer's name and Frazer ran over, smiling when he saw Jack, Rory and Lisa.

"Hullo," Frazer said then looked down and Rory placed his finger to his lips, hushing him.

"Lisa's sleeping," he whispered as Frazer nodded his head and Jack gave him a concerned look.

"What's going on?" Jack asked and Frazer scratched the back of his head.

"Security spotted some poachers," Frazer asked and Rory looked at him with a confused look on his face.

"What's a poocher?" Rory asked and Jack smiled, gently ruffling his hair.

"A poacher is someone who steals animals," Jack said.

"Daddy says that stealing is wrong," Rory said and Frazer nodded his head.

"You need any help?" Jack asked.

"No, we'll handle it," Frazer said when a loud explosion filled the air and people started screamed. Jack had picked up Rory while Frazer removed Lisa from the pushchair and both of them tried to calm the crying children.

"*tsk*Frazer, this is Michael.*tsk*" came over the walkie talkie on his belt as Frazer held Lisa in one arm and took the walkie talkie off his belt."

"Where did that explosion come from?" he asked then let go of the button.

"*tsk*It came from the Quanti habitat.*tsk*" Michael said as Frazer's eyes widened and he pressed his lips together. Another explosion filled the air as people ran for shelter and Jack placed Rory down so Frazer could hand Lisa to him.

"Any sign of the poachers?"

"*tsk*Yeah, there are pieces of them all….Shit, I nearly got hit with someone's foot!*tsk*"

"Right, what I want you to do is keep clear of the habitat and I'll be there as quick as I can," Frazer said then placed the walkie talkie back on his belt and Jack titled his head to one side, giving him a confused look.

"What is a Quanti?" Jack asked.

"Come and I'll show you," Frazer said as he helped Jack place Rory and Lisa in the pushchair and they stopped off at the pizza cart to get some lunch. A few minutes later they arrived at the taped off area as Frazer told Jack to keep back and walked to the security guards. He talked with them then walked away and Jack wondered where Frazer was going. Frazer returned a few minutes later with what looked like a rock when he stopped and knelt down in front of the pushchair.

"What's that?" Rory asked when Frazer stroked the top of the rock and two blue eyes popped open. A small crack opened to show several pebble like teeth and the rock like creature purred.

"This is a Quanti," Frazer said while Jack walked to him then knelt down and looked at the Quanti.

"Let me guess. You had to remove them from their native planet because they tend to explode when threatened?"

"Aye," Frazer said and stroked the top of the Quanti's head. "The Doctor told me we don't take in dangerous animals, but Quantis are only dangerous if you threaten them. The upside is they sleep during the day and people think their habitat is a rock garden. I'm just glad those poachers only woke up the wee ones."

"Wait, just big do these things get?" Jack said as they stood up and Frazer looked over at the habitat.

"Well, see that really big rock over there?" he asked while pointing to what looked like a ten feet tall boulder and Jack nodded his head. "Let's just say that one's a heavy sleeper."

Jack thought for a few seconds then nodded his head and walked behind the pushchair. Saying their goodbyes, they walked away and Jack puffed air out of his cheeks.

"Doc, we really need to talk about what is and what isn't a dangerous animal," he whispered and pushed the pushchair down the path.

"We're….." Nigel said as he, Stacey and Maggie walked out of the TARDIS when Ianto hushed them and wiggled his finger for them to follow him. They walked into the main room as they smiled at the sight of Jack sleeping on the couch, Rory was sleeping on the other couch and Lisa was sleeping in the pushchair and Ianto handed Nigel a piece of paper.

ATTENTION: NAPTIME TIME IN PROGRESS! ANY VIOLATIONS WILL BE DEALT WITH HARSHLY! THANK YOU! was written on the piece of paper as they smiled and Jack rolled onto his right side then sighed and Ianto, Nigel, Stacey and Maggie quietly left the room.


	219. Chapter 219

Chapter Two Hundred and Nineteen

It's been a long time since I wrote in this, but being the Doctor is a full time job. Ok, I am one of three Doctors that live in this big, mixed up family, but I am the Doctor. The point is I am also a father. I have talked about my Dex and how much like me he was when he was alive. I talked a little bit about Jenny, but what I didn't say is how confused I was when we first met. One minute I was placing my hand in this machine and the next I had a full grown daughter.

Did I love her at first? I think I said that I couldn't bring myself to love her because I had locked the love I had for my children away. But I did love her. She was my little girl. She even had the same color hair I had at the beginning of my lives. It took me thinking she was dead and gone that made me seal it up for good. I do kick myself for not bonding with her. If I had bonded with her, I would have known when she had woken up and would have gone to find her. What compensates for that is the fact that her going off on her own had reunited me with Jamie.

As for Cameron, I would never trade one day with my son. He means as much to me as any and all my children. My bright boy will go far as a Time Lord. He already goes off on missions for the High Council and has terra formed several planets with his inventions. True, he has had help from his cousin, Zoe, but my son is brilliant.

When it comes to Faith, I could write books on how much she has brought to my life. Not just because she was given to me during a dark period of my life, but because she is a constant reminder of how much my family means to me.

No, the last child I need to write about is Adam. Ok, he is my brother, but he is also my son. The Doctor, Amato and I joke about who and what Alan, John and Adam are, but they are our sons. Not sure what the Doctor thinks about Alan as a son, or how much Amato regrets how he treated John during his time as the Valeyard, but nothing can compare to being separated from one's child.

I remember how hard it was to leave Adam and Rose on that beach that day, but I thought I was doing the right thing. It was something like when I left Susan behind. He was going off to start a life with someone I knew would love and take care of him. But what if he hated me for doing that? I never did go back to check on Susan, so there was a chance that he hated me.

I was certain of that when he stormed at me that day on the beach and punched me in the face. I knew that I deserved it, as well as his anger, but the look in his eyes when he realized that he was home that assured me that he was just angry and didn't hate me.

What was it like when I found out that I nearly lost my son? I was enraged, but it wasn't because he almost died. It was because I wasn't there. Adam's appendix went bad and his heart nearly stopped…twice. We finally agreed that his body was trying to go into a healing coma, but didn't know how. The thing is, if I had been there, I would have taken him immediately into my TARDIS and operated on him. He would have gone into a healing coma because I would have put him in one myself.

The funny thing is I don't have an appendix. Where did it come from? My guess it came from Donna and I am a teeny bit mad at her for giving him a bad one. I did go see Wilf and he told me my Donna did have her appendix out when she was ten.

It was so hard to only see him for seconds at a time when the rift opened for a short time, but when the rift opened for days, weeks or months at a time…..Those were the best times of my lives.

Adam and I would spend most of the time just talking about what we were up to and it hurt inside to know he was miserable. I wanted to tell him to move back to my universe, but I also knew his time line and knew he had to go through all the garbage to finally get what he…what we…deserved.

Does that include him losing five children due to Rose's miscarriages? No, it doesn't include that. I would never want him to think I don't care about my lost grandchildren/nieces and nephews and we both wonder what it would have been like if all five of them had lived and what they would look like and how much trouble they would have gotten into.

Oh, I did forget something. I was certain that he hated me when River was taken by the Valeyard when she was two years old. I should have realized that I was being followed, but I was so preoccupied with the thought of visiting my son and his family that I got sloppy. When River was taken, I saw the life leaving Adam's eyes. He was so angry and it was my fault.

I was just as furious when his Pete wouldn't help us find her and I was enraged when Adam had to break down and cry until he finally decided to. It was Rose who stopped me from throttling Pete.

I know it was foolish to go off on my own, but I wasn't going to allow that monster harm River. I know that the Valeyard was me at some point, or so the legend goes, but there is no part of me that would harm a child. Not even my own. So, being the Time Lord I am, I went off to find him, but got captured and the Valeyard wanted my lives for her release. I would gladly give them up for her. The Valeyard and I fought until I knocked him out and I was shocked when Adam came into the room with a gun in his hands. I wasn't sure if he knew who was who until he called me "Brother" and told me to duck.

Did I approve of what he did? No, but it was either me or the Valeyard and I am glad he picked him.

I will never forget the look in Adam's eyes when he fired that gun or the look on his face when he saw that he had killed the Valeyard. He looked so dead inside and the tone of his voice scared me. When we left where the Valeyard had hidden River, I took Adam, Rose and River to Crystal Waters and that is where things get a little fuzzy. Not sure if Adam just got the help he needed or that he became ill and nearly died. All I know is that I got my son back and we went home.

What hurt the most is when I said we were going home. He begged me not to take him back to his universe. He wanted to go home! I can still see the sadness and anger in his eyes when I told him that he had to stay there just a little bit longer. It took five more years, but we finally did go home. And that included Jackie and Tony.

Watching Adam growing up all these years made me proud to be his father/brother and I wouldn't trade him for anything. He is more than a son or a brother. He is me. He is how I was way back when I first started out and seeing the world through his eyes makes me smile.

"Aw, you like me! You really like me!" Adam said as Duer jumped and spun the chair around to face him.

"Of course I like you," Duer said as he stood up and placed his hands on Adam's shoulders.

"So, uh, "Dad", you want to come and pick on Rain with me?"

"And why would I want to do that?" he asked with a stern look on his face.

"Well, Alan is busy and I'm bored," Adam sighed and Duer sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Tell you what. Let me save this and we'll go find something to do that doesn't end with Rain wanting to kill you," Duer said as Adam nodded his head and Duer saved what he wrote, turned the computer off and they walked out of the room as the door closed behind them.


	220. Chapter 220

Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty

"How is she?" Koschei asked as he walked into the nursery and Julie stood near the nest bed. Aderyn had not been sleeping lately due to her wings growing in and her grayish blue eyes were red from crying.

"Owie, Baba, me owie," she whimpered as he gently picked her up and held her in his arms.

"I know, Little Peeps, I know," he whispered as he gently rocked her and kissed the top of her head. Her permanent feathers were growing in as he noticed they were snow white in color and she placed her head against his shoulder.

"I'm going to take her to see the Doctor this morning. You want to come?" Julie asked and he nodded his head. Julie knew that it was hurting all of them to see Aderyn suffering, but it was a part of growing up Amos and she gently stroked the top of Aderyn's head while sending love into her mind.

"Well let's take a look, shall we?" the Doctor said while Aderyn sat on the examination table in his medical bay and the Doctor gently turned her around to look at her back. He was glad that there wasn't any blood or deformities as he placed the rubber gloves on and slid his long fingers under the wings that were across her back. He gently stroked the base of the wings as he smile that she didn't scream or try to snap at him and he moved his fingers along the wings. "Can you spread them out for me, Sweetie?"

"Baba?" she asked as she looked at Koschei with a confused look on her face and he sighed, not knowing what to do. He thought for a few seconds when he closed his eyes and she smiled when she saw him inside his head. He had a pair of larger wings on his back as he gave her a blank look then arched his back a bit and the wings slowly rose up then spread out in twin arcs. "Oh!"

The Doctor smiled as she arched her back and the small wings moved up then spread out and he gently moved his fingers along the wings.

"Good girl!" he said and she smiled. Koschei showed her how to close her wings as she repeated what he did and he nodded his head. "Now just open one wing and moved the wing up and down."

Koschei showed her what the Doctor wanted her to do and she spread out then moved her left wing up and down then the right wing and the Doctor nodded his head.

"Well, it looks like someone is ready for flying lessons," he said while walking to the other side of the examination table and Aderyn looked at him with a puzzled look on her face.

"Me fly?" she asked.

"Well, not right away. Have to take it nice and slow, ok?" he asked as he removed a grape lollipop, her favorite, from his pocket and she nodded her head. After handing her the lollipop, he turned the Koschei and Julie and smiled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Ok, what we need is have her fit for a flying harness and maybe see if Gimalt has any suggestions on how to teach her to fly."

"Sounds like a plan," Julie said as she picked Aderyn up and Aderyn looked up at her, blinking her eyes a few times.

"Me fly now, Mooma?" she asked and Julie smiled, kissing the top of her head.

"Not now, Sweetie," she said as they left the medical bay and the doors closed behind them.

It had been a while since they had seen Gimalt as he gently hugged everyone then looked at Aderyn and she titled her head side to side.

"She has gotten so big," he said as Koschei nodded his head and held Aderyn in his arms.

"Me big!" Aderyn said as she held her arms up and they softly laughed as she smiled.

"What do we do now?" Julie asked as Gamalt took Aderyn from Koschei and held her up in the air. This made Aderyn giggled as she placed her hands on his face and he smiled up at her.

"Well, if we were on Amos, we would take her to the Valley of the Winds. It is where all hatchlings go to learn how to fly. The father would…," he said then looked at Koschei then made a soft cough and Koschei sighed, looking down. "The father would take flight first and show the hatchlings what to do then they would try to flow him."

"And what would happen to those that didn't fly on the first try?" Julie asked.

"That is why the father goes first. If they don't get take flight then the father catches the hatchling and they would try again later. We rarely have a father miss."

"Yeah, I can imagine that would be messy," Koschei sighed and Gimalt nodded his head.

"Well, there is something my father did with me and my hatchlings when we were learning how to fly. See, he didn't have time to take us to the Valley of the Winds and would gently toss us into the air. He would tell us to flap our wings before we fell to the floor and most of us got the hang of it. I do admit of hitting the floor a few times," he said with a smile and Koschei and Julie nodded their heads.

"Fall down and go boom?" Aderyn asked and Gimalt nodded his head.

"Well, we could do that, but I don't want her to get hurt."

"Then she will never fly," Gimalt sighed and looked down at his feet.

"Well, there is a way she CAN learn how to fly, BUT you aren't going to like it," Julie said as they looked at her and Koschei thought for a few seconds. His eyes went wide as his mouth fell open and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, we are NOT doing that!" he said with anger in his eyes and Gimalt looked at them with a confused look on his face.

"I don't understand. Why are you so reluctant? Do you wish her to learn to fly or not?" he asked and Koschei sighed, rolling his eyes.

"There is this Time Lord who is telekinetic and can lift and move things with his mind."

"And he would us this power to help her?"

"Yes."

"No!" Koschei said then sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Sorry, he already floated her through the air and I was afraid he was going to drop her."

"I can understand your fear, My Friend, but if he can help her learn…" Gimalt said and Koschei nodded his head, taking Aderyn in her arms.

"Do you want Cameron to help us teach you to fly?" Julie asked and Aderyn smiled, nodding her head.

"Oh, alright, call him," Koschei sighed and Julie smiled, kissing his cheek.

"Hello," Cameron said as he walked by Julie and she closed the door. She remembered how angry Koschei was when Cameron floated Aderyn in the air while they were in a caravan going across the US, but it was only because he was just learning how to use his powers and he wouldn't have let her get hurt.

"They're out back," Julie said as he nodded and pushed the sunglasses he was wearing up with a finger.

"So, are you SURE he is ok with this?"

"Yeah," she said as they headed for the door that lead to the backyward then went outside and Koschei looked at him with a suspicious look on his face.

"Oh yeah, he looks really sure," Cameron whispered and she sighed, rolling her eyes. They stopped in front of Koschei and Gimalt as Cameron nodded his head toward Gimalt and Gimalt nodded back. "Is my student ready?"

"Me fly, Cam-Cam, me fly now!" Aderyn said as she bounced up and down in Koschei's arms and Cameron smiled, patting her on the top of the head.

"Ok, Little Bird, ok," Cameron said as he stood back a bit and locked eyes with her. Aderyn giggled as Cameron wiggled his fingers and she slowly floated into the air while Julie pushed the button on the video camera. Gimalt was stunned as Cameron held Aderyn aloft for a few seconds and she held her arms out to her sides. "How about spreading those wings, eh?"

"Ok," she giggled as she spread her wings and Gimalt softly smiled, folding his arms over his chest.

"She has her mother's feathers," he whispered and Koschei felt his hearts hurting and softly smiled at him.

"Ok, Little Peeps, remember when the Doctor asked you to move your wings up and down? Can you do that, but move both wings at the same time?" he asked as Aderyn looked at him, blinked her eyes a few times then smiled and moved her wings up and down.

"Whoa, look at you!" Cameron said as she giggled and he lifted her higher in the air. He moved his fingers as she slowly moved through the air while flapping her wings and Koschei walked to Julie, sliding his arm around her.

"Mooma, Baba, me flying!" Aderyn said as Cameron moved his fingers and she flew around in a circle.

"Yes, you are!" Julie said as she used the video camera to make a close up on Aderyn's face and smiled. Cameron titled his head to one side as Koschei looked at him and wanted to talk to him telepathically, but knew breaking his concentration would cause Aderyn to fall. After a while he noticed that Cameron was getting tired as he looked up at Aderyn and whistled to get her attention.

"Ok, Little Peeps, that's enough for today. Cam's getting tired,' he said, but Cameron glanced over at him and sighed.

"No, I'm….fine," he said and Koschei walked closer, brushing his finger under Cameron's nose. Cameron looked at the blood on Koschei's finger as he sighed and slowly lowered Aderyn into Gimalt's arms.

"Cam-Cam icky nose!" she said as she pointed to Cameron and Julie gasped, turning the video camera off and ran to him.

"Let's go inside," she said as she led Cameron inside and Koschei walked to Gimalt, taking Aderyn in his arms.

"Is he going to be ok?" Julie asked after she had placed Aderyn down for a nap and Koschei placed the receiver on the phone cradle. Gimalt had left as Koschei walked to her and slid his arms around her waist, kissing her lips.

"Yeah, Frankie said he tends to get nose bleeds if he uses his power too long," he said and she placed her head against his chest.

"She flew."

"Yeah, but Gimalt said it will be a while until she flies on her own."

"She is growing up so fast," she sighed and he kissed the top of her head.

"Kids tend to do that," he sighed and looked down the hallway. "The best thing we can do is let her spread her wings and be there when she falls."

"That is so deep," she said then yelped when he tickled her and she gently smacked his chest.

"You sure she's asleep?" he whispered as she nodded her head and he took her hand. Hushing her, they quietly walked down the hallway and the door closed behind them after they went in the bedroom.


	221. Chapter 221

Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty One

The light flashed as Little Alan looked up from his Tree Fu Tom coloring book when he ran to the door and peeked out of the window. Smiling, he opened the door as the Doctor smiled down at him and knelt down on his haunches.

HELLO, IS YOUR DADDY HOME? the Doctor signed.

YES, HE IS IN THE BATHROOM, Little Alan signed as the Doctor stood up and Little Alan opened the door wider so he could come in. The Doctor patted him on the head as he walked by and Little Alan closed the door. He watched Little Alan go upstairs when the Doctor walked to the couch and sat down. A few minutes later Adam came down the stairs with Little Alan behind him as they walked to the couch and Little Alan sat back on the floor, returning to his coloring book.

"And what can I do for you?" Adam asked with a blank look on his face and the Doctor smiled, placing his hands on his knees.

"Well, as you know, it comes a time in every Time Lord's life when he or she has to do their duty and it comes to my attention that it is YOUR turn to come with me to the….," the Doctor said and Adam's eyes widened.

"No! Tell me I have to go to….THE INTERGALACTIC SENATE?" he gasped and the Doctor smiled, nodding his head. "But….but….but I can't go! I have to babysit!"

"Where is your wife? Shouldn't she be here raising the young one while you're off doing your Time Lord duties?"

"Well, YOUR wife came and took her, Rose, Rosie and Frankie on a shopping trip!" Adam said and the Doctor sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Blast, I should have known she had alternative motives in taking my TARDIS!" the Doctor said as he stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Still, it doesn't excuse you not doing your Time Lords duties! Get your coat and let's get going!"

"What should I do with him?" Adam asked as he pointed to Little Alan, who had his tongue sticking between his teeth while coloring on the page of his coloring book, and the Doctor smiled while placing his hands behind his back.

"He can come with us," the Doctor said as Adam sighed then nodded his head and the three of them left the house a few minutes later.

Councilor Xashon smiled while the Doctor and Adam walked down the hallway and Adam adjusted the headpiece on his head. The Doctor had found a small, white robe and skull cap for Little Alan to wear as they walked closer and Councilor Xashon nodded her head.

"Greetings, Val'yak," she said as the Doctor blushed and Little Alan looked up at her. Councilor Xashon knelt down on her haunches as he looked at the headpiece on her head as he blinked his eyes a few times and she smiled at him.

HELLO, ALAN, DO YOU REMEMBER ME? she signed.

YES, YOU ARE THE PRETTY TIME LADY, he signed while a soft blush moved across her cheeks and she stood up, patting the top of his head.

"Sorry about bringing him with me, but I didn't know who to leave him with. My wife and older kids are off planet and Alan has a cold," Adam said as she nodded her head and Little Alan took his hand.

"Well, seeing that he's brought his children from time to time, I don't see why not. If he gets bored, I can have someone take him to the children's center," she said as Adam nodded when four Ewoks walked by and Little Alan's eyes widened.

DADDY, WHAT IS THAT? he signed after pulling on Adam's hand and Adam looked at the Ewoks, smiled and knelt down on his haunches.

THOSE ARE EWOKS, he signed and Little Alan smiled.

YOU MEAN LIKE IN RETURN OF THE JEDI?

YES, Adam signed and Little Alan watched the Ewoks going down the hallway.

"Shall we go find our seats?" Councilor Xashon asked while pointing with her hand and they nodded their heads then followed her as she headed down the hallway.

"Oh, Doctor! It is so good to see you again!" Alpha Centauri said while moving toward them and the Doctor softly smiled.

"It is good to see you again, too," he said with a nod of his head and Alpha Centauri looked at Adam.

"It is good to see you as well, Doctor!"

"Sorry, but I'm not my brother. I'm Adam," Adam said with a soft smile and Alpha Centauri gasped.

"Oh, I am so sorry! "

"That's alright," he said and Alpha Centauri looked at Little Alan, who had a confused look on his face. "This is my son, Alan."

"Greeting Little One!"

"Um, he can't hear."

"Oh, I seem to be making all sorts of mistakes today!"

"No, that's alright," Adam said then knelt down on his haunches and Little Alan looked at him.

WHO IS THAT, DADDY? Little Alan signed.

THIS IS ALPHA CENTAURI, Adam signed.

WHAT IS IT?

ALPHA CENTAURI IS A HEXAPOD FROM ALPHA CENTAURI.

IT LOOKS LIKE A WORM, Little Alan signed and Adam smiled, rolling his eyes.

YES, I KNOW, Adam signed and stood up, taking Little Alan's hand.

"Well, it is time to go inside," Alpha Centauri said while pointing toward the doors and they went inside the meeting room then the doors closed behind them. The room spread out around them as the boxes rose from the floor to the ceiling and a large platform sat at the center of the room. Adam looked at the wide variety of aliens and humanoid beings entering the boxes while chatting with one another when the boxes floated into the air and settled in their assigned places. "Ah, I must be going. Farewell."

"Farewell," the Doctor said as he slightly bowed and they watched Alpha Centauri moving away while Little Alan looked up at the boxes floating overhead.

"This way," Councilor Xashon said as they walked to the metal box with six, high back chairs inside then the Doctor opened the door and they walked toward the chairs. Three other Time Lords were already sitting on the chairs at the back of the box as they nodded to them and Councilor Xashon sat down on the middle, high back chair. The Doctor sat to her left while Adam sat to her right and he picked Little Alan up, placing him on his lap. The box slowly rose into the air as Little Alan looked around and smiled, leaning against Adam. The box slid into the assigned spot with a soft clicking sound as the Doctor picked up the small data pad off the hook in front of him and pushed the button.

DADDY, CAN I GET UP? Little Alan signed and Adam nodded his head. Little Alan got off his lap as he walked to the front of the box and could just see over the railing. Looking around, he saw Alpha Centauri with the other Alpha Centauri as he waved and Alpha Centauri waved back. Suddenly the lights dimmed as he turned around and Adam wiggled his fingers for him to come back. Little Alan sat on Adam's lap when a light appeared on the center platform and the head of the Intergalactic Senate placed his hands on the podium. He was a tall, humanoid male with an oval shaped face and white ridges made of bone arched over the sides of his head. He was bald and his skin was a bright blue color. His eyes were blood red in color and two teeth poked out from his thin lips. The overhead light shimmered on his silver robe as his long fingers draped over the top of the podium and he sighed, looking down at his notes.

As the head of the Intergalactic Senate started speaking, Little Alan looked over at the aliens in the box to the left as he blinked his eyes a few times. The aliens were tall with stark white skin and black bone ridges arched up from between their eyebrows up to the top of their heads and long, yellow claws clicked as they used sign language to talk to each other. Adam had been teaching him all forms of sign language as Little Alan watched them then titled his head to one side.

"Someone please shoot me!" Adam softly moaned as Councilor Xashon gently poked him in the ribs and he sighed, closing his eyes. "Wake me up when it's over."

Adam pretended to snore when Little Alan's eyes widened and he knelt on Adam's lap, gently slapping his face with his hands. Adam opened his eyes when he saw the fear on Little Alan's face and Little Alan placed his hands on the sides of Adam's face while gently pulling his head toward his. Placing his forehead against Little Alan's forehead, Adam closed his eyes as Little Alan showed him what he saw and Adam quickly opened his eyes, looking over at the Doctor.

_"Brother, we have a problem," _Adam thought after placing up a privacy block and the Doctor looked at him with a confused look on his face.

_"What's wrong?" _the Doctor thought. Adam showed him what Little Alan saw as the Doctor slowly stood up and Councilor Xashon looked up at him.

"Where are you going?" Councilor Xashon whispered as he hushed her and set up a privacy block.

_"Don't react, but those aliens to your left have planted a bomb somewhere in the room," _he thought then showed her what Little Alan saw and she glanced with her eyes at the box to the left.

_"What do you want me to do?" _she thought.

_"I want you to signal security and tell them what's going on and I'll go defuse the bomb," _the Doctor thought as he headed for the door at the back of the box when he saw Adam get up, place Little Alan on Councilor Xashon's lap, and walked to him.

"Where are you going?" the Doctor whispered.

"I'm going with you," Adam whispered.

"No," he whispered while elongating the "o", but Adam frowned and folded his arms over his chest. Sighing, the Doctor nodded his head as they left the box and the door closed behind them.


	222. Chapter 222

Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty Two

WHERE DID DADDY GO? Little Alan signed as he looked over her shoulder and Xashon wondered if she should tell him. She wasn't sure if the aliens to their left could read Gallifreyan sign language as she took his hands and set up a privacy block. Little Alan smiled when she appeared in his mind and she knelt down on her haunches then softly smiled at him.

DADDY WENT TO HELP THE DOCTOR FIND THE BOMB, she signed and he frowned. OH, DON'T WORRY. THE DOCTOR WON'T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOUR DADDY.

I KNOW. I JUST WANT TO HELP.

YOU HAVE HELPED! IF YOU HADN'T SEEN THEM USING SIGN LANGUAGE, WE WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN THERE WAS A BOMB AND A LOT OF PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED.

YOU MEAN LIKE ALPHA CENTAURI AND THE EWOKS?

YES, she signed and he smiled then wrapped his arms around her neck. Xashon dropped the privacy block when she saw him hugging her and she rubbed his back, sending love into his mind.

The Doctor and Adam walked down the hallway as they used their sonic screwdriver to scan for the bomb and the Doctor noticed the sonic screwdriver Adam was using was Duer's sonic screwdriver.

"Borrowing your brother's toys again?" he asked while wiggling his eyebrows up and down and Adam softly smiled.

"No," he said as he elongated the "o" and the Doctor gave him a stern look. "Do you remember when my brother and I went to check those lave tubes on Minos Three?"

"Yeah," the Doctor said with a nod of his head.

"Well, I….um…my hands were sweaty and I…" Adam said as the Doctor softly laughed and rolled his eyes.

"You dropped your sonic screwdriver into the lava tube?"

"Yeah, I never saw anything melt so fast. Duer said I can use his sonic until my TARDIS grows me a new one."

"It is going to look like this one?" the Doctor asked as he pointed to the sonic screwdriver and Adam shook his head.

"Nah, this one's got too many buttons," Adam said when the Doctor's sonic screwdriver pinged and they stood in front of the doors. The Doctor scanned the doors when he sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Bugger, I should have known. The aliens Alan saw were Ornetz and they are at war with the Krystans."

"And they are the ones we agreed to represent in the treaty signing," Adam said and the Doctor nodded his head.

"Don't worry. I scanned for a bomb in our box before we left. Alan, Xashon and the others are safe," the Doctor said as Adam sighed and brushed the hair from his eyes. "What we need to do is find where the bomb is."

"Can't we just go inside?" Adam asked when the doors slid open and they looked up at the large, muscular figure standing in the doorway. Standing roughly ten and a half feet in height, the figure looked male, but was made of iridescent crystal and the red eyes sparkled in the light. The face was oval in shape and the crystal that formed the nose stuck out a bit. The figure's long, white hair was tied back with a black cord and the figure was wearing black body armor and helmet with a laser blaster hanging from the holster on his right hip.

"Hello, I am the Doctor. Who are you?" he asked.

"I am General Maxar," Maxar said and the Doctor nodded his head.

"Is Lady Onyxia present? I need to speak with her," the Doctor said and Maxar made his eyes into tight slits.

"She is busy at the moment," Maxar said while Adam was scanning him with the lowest setting on his sonic screwdriver when his eyes widened and he set up a privacy block.

_"Um, Doctor, hate to say this, but we've found the bomb. His whole body is saturated with enough explosives to blow us to the next planet," _Adam thought and the Doctor cursed whoever was in charge of security.

_"Right, we need to get him out of here," _the Doctor thought.

_"And how are we going to get Mount Diamond here to come with us?"_

_"Follow my lead," _the Doctor said as he looked at Maxar and folded his arms over his chest.

"Right, I know that I am breaking all sorts of protocol, but the reason I need to speak with Lady Onyxia is we found out there is a virus going around that only affects crystalline beings."

"And you believe that she has it?" Maxar asked.

"That is why I need to see her. In fact…" the Doctor said as he took his sonic screwdriver and pretended to scan him. "Yep, just as I thought, you have it!"

"I do?" Maxar asked with wide eyes and Adam pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh.

"Oh yeah," Adam said as he pretended to scan Maxar and looked at the screen. "You are in the first stages. If we don't get you tended to right away, well, I wouldn't plan on reading any long books in the near future."

Maxar's eyes went as wide as they could as the Doctor assured him he would be alright if he came with them and they walked down the hallway, heading for the lift.

The senate was gob smacked when news of the bomb spread and Adam searched the crowds for any sign of Little Alan. The Doctor was speaking with security as the Ornetz were placed in the prison transfer vehicle and the anger he felt boiled deep inside him.

"Val'yak!" Xashon called out as she and Little Alan walked closer and Little Alan let go of her hand, running toward Adam. Kneeling down, Adam held his arms out as Little Alan wrapped his arms around Adam's neck and hugged him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, we're fine," the Doctor said while looking at Adam trying to stand while Little Alan held onto his neck and softly smiled.

"Oh dear…oh dear….oh dear," Alpha Centauri said while coming closer and was lightly bouncing up and down. "I can't believe this is happening! Someone planted a bomb?"

"Yes, but we've gotten rid of it," Adam said as he held Little Alan in his arms and Little Alan placed his head on Adam's shoulder. Suddenly several Krystans walked closer then parted when a tall Krystan female with long, black hair and ice blue eyes walked by them and the Doctor placed his hands together then bowed.

"Lady Onyxia," he said as she stopped in front of him and her gold gown swirled around her flawless body.

"Greetings, Doctor," Lady Onyxia said then looked over at Maxar and softly sighed. "I wish to thank you for saving us. I knew that Lord Grafelk was against the treaty, but to use my brother as a bomb is inexcusable!"

"Uh, yeah, about that," the Doctor said when he looked over at Maxar and brushed the hair from his eyes. Security was able to remove the explosive from his skin as Maxar looked at the Doctor and alarm bells started ringing in his head.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked, looking over at her brother.

"How did Lord Grafelk get hold of your brother? I don't think someone that big and lumpy would just let Lord Grafelk turn him into a walking time bomb without a fight."

"I….uh…." Lady Onyxia said when she walked to Maxar and Maxar looked down, tilting his head to one side. "When were you captured by Lord Grafelk?"

"I don't remember," he said as the Doctor walked closer and Maxar glared at him with his eyes in tight slits. "What do you want, Flesher?"

"You will not talk to the Doctor that way!" she shouted and Maxar growled, his fingers flexing over the handle of his laser blaster.

"What are you hiding?" the Doctor said while walking closer when Maxar grabbed onto Lady Onyxia and she screamed. Maxar held her against his body while pointing the laser blaster at them and Adam sighed, taking the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. Pushing a few buttons, Adam pointed the sonic screwdriver at Maxar then pushed the button and Maxar screamed as his hand exploded. The laser blaster landed on the ground as Maxar held onto the shattered stump when the security guards walked closer and the Doctor nodded his head.

"Onyxia!" Maxar shouted as the security team placed him in the larger prison transfer vehicle and closed the door. Sighing, the Doctor walked to Lady Onyxia as she lowered her head and he gently lifted her chin up.

"I am so sorry," she sighed, but he shook his head and she softly smiled. "Where is the young Flesher?"

Adam walked closer when he stood in front of her and Little Alan smiled as she walked closer then stroked Little Alan's hair.

"Is it true that he was the one who found out about the bomb?" she asked.

"Yes," Adam said with a nod of his head.

"Please place him down," she said as Adam placed Little Alan down when Lady Onyxia knelt down in front of Little Alan and he smiled at her. The Doctor had informed her about Little Adam's deafness and how he was able to understand the sign language the Ornetz were using as Little Alan moved his fingers over her hands and she smiled. She slowly moved her hands toward his head while a blue light flickered along her fingers and hands and she placed her hands over his ears. Adam looked at the Doctor, but the Doctor shook his head and the blue light pulsated on and off. Adam didn't feel panic or fear coming from Little Alan when Lady Onyxia lowered her hands and stood up, smiling at him. "Thank you."

They watched her walking away with the rest of the Krystans when Adam knelt in front of Little Alan and Little Alan was looking around with a shocked look on his face.

"What did she do to him?" Adam asked as he held Little Alan's head in his hands and Little Alan smiled, placing his hands on Adam's cheeks.

"I have heard that Krystans are great healers," the Doctor said as he softly walked behind Little Alan and clapped his hands. Little Alan jumped when he turned around to look at the Doctor and Adam stood up with a shocked look on his face. Clapping his hands together, he watched Little Alan spin around as he smiled at Adam and tears dribbled down his cheeks.

"Rassilon," he whispered when Adam picked up Little Alan and hugged him.

"He can hear?" Xashon asked.

"Yep, but let's take him to Martha. She can tell us for sure what Lady Onyxia has done to him," the Doctor said as they started to walk away and Adam sent love into Little Alan's mind.

Standing in the doorway, Adam watched Little Alan sleeping as he leaned on the doorframe and softly smiled. Martha had done tests to find out what Lady Onyxia had done and they were stunned when the scans showed the nerve damage was gone and his eardrums were fully formed. She gave them a name of a child speech therapist so they could make an appointment to start teaching him how to talk and Little Alan was amazed how loud the world was. Alan was gob smacked to find out that Little Alan could now hear and had come over for dinner, giving Little Alan a big hug and kiss.

Adam felt a little guilty for the sense of relief he was feeling as he brushed the hair out of his eyes, softly kicked off the doorframe and headed down the hallway. What he didn't see was Little Alan half open his eyes as he signed NIGHT, DADDY then closed his eyes and drifted off back to sleep.


End file.
